Dynamic axial impact tests to isolated lower legs were conducted at the Medical College of Wisconsin laboratory in the USA. The aim is to develop a more definitive and quantitative relationship between biomechanical parameters such as specimen age, axial force, and injury. Twenty-six intact adult lower legs excised from unembalmed human cadavers were tested under dynamic loading using a mini-sled pendulum device. Results from these tests were combined with the data from the studies by Wayne State University and Calspan Corporation, both in the USA. The total sample size available was 52. Statistical analysis of these data was performed using Weibull techniques. Age and dynamic axial force were the most significant discriminant variables that defined the injury risk function. Consequently, the probability of foot-ankle injury was described in terms of specimen age and force. The findings are a first step towards the quantification of the dynamic tolerance of the human foot-ankle complex under the axial impact modality.
Abstract