Finite element approach used on the human tibia: a study on spiral fractures

The application of finite element analysis (FEA) to the field of biomechanics has gained immense importance and is helpful in surgical planning and in the design of implants. In the pursuit of designing customized and suitable human implants to aid in the treatment of fractures, studies analyzing the behavior of bone under different loading conditions are required. This paper discusses such a study in regard to the human tibia bone, which gets fractured due to twisting loading. This spiral fracture phenomenon has been modeled for the evaluation of its maximum strain energy-absorbing capacity and Von Mises stresses. A 3D model of the human tibia was created from a computed tomography scan using CAD software. The model was then imported into FEA software (Femap version 9.0, UGS, Plano, TX, USA) and analyzed by applying specific boundary conditions and material properties. The results using the FEA approach were then compared with those obtained using the conventional method. We hope that these data will be helpful for the selection of materials used in medical implants.