ArticleFrontiers in rehabilitation sciences2026
Exploring the biomechanical mechanisms of neuromuscular joint facilitation intervention in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a finite element analysis.
Article in Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) causes joint pain and gait disorders in older adults. Exercise is an effective non-pharmaceutical therapy. Neuromuscular joint facilitation (NJF) improves knee joint function by combining neuromuscular facilitation with intra-articular joint motion; however, its biomechanical mechanism remains unclear. Finite element analysis, the mechanisms by which two NJF movement patterns-knee extension with lateral tibial rotation and knee flexion with medial tibial rotation-affect the stress distribution on the meniscus and major ligaments in patients with KOA. Methods: Six KOA patients were recruited. Inertial motion capture and handheld dynamometer measured tibial rotation angles and force conditions: active knee extension/flexion (AKE/AKF) pattern, distally single-resisted knee extension and flexion (DKE/DKF) pattern, and NJF technique (double-resisted movement). A knee finite-element model was built from one subject's CT/MRI. Loaded parameters were used to analyze the stress distribution characteristics of the medial collateral ligament (MCL), lateral collateral ligament (LCL), anterior/posterior cruciate ligament (ACL/PCL), and medial/lateral menisci at flexion angles of 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°. Results: Knee rotation ICCs from inertial motion capture were all >0.75 ( Discussion: The NJF technique can redistribute load between the meniscus and ligaments in this subject-specific finite element model, reducing peak meniscal load while moderately increasing ligament mechanical stimulation. These computational findings suggest a distinctive biomechanical profile of NJF compared with traditional resistance training in this subject-specific model. This provides a preliminary theoretical basis for future research, but the clinical relevance of these biomechanical observations requires confirmation through prospective clinical trials.
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