Title: Unraveling The Role Of Mechanical Factors In The Wear And Degeneration Of Knee Meniscus Program: Biomedical Engineering PhD Committee Chair: Trevor Lujan Committee: Trevor Lujan, Clare Fitzpatrick, Tyler Brown, Kirk Lewis Abstract: The repetitive wear-and-tear of knee menisci plays a significant role in chronic knee pain and disability, yet little is understood about the mechanical factors that drive the pathomechanics of this degenerative process. This gap in knowledge is critical to developing strategies to prevent and delay the incidence of meniscal degeneration. To address this gap, this research examines how specific loading magnitudes and motion paths at the cartilage-meniscus interface influence meniscal wear behavior, including: material loss, extracellular matrix weakening, and fiber fraying. This body of work integrates highly-repeatable, novel 3D scanning techniques to quantify and visualize meniscus damage, while mechanical wear was simulated using custom-built pin-on-plate devices and a six-degree-of-freedom robotic joint simulator. Results demonstrate that meniscal wear is anisotropic and strongly influenced by compressive loading magnitude. These findings underscore the importance of joint loading environments on meniscal health and degeneration. Collectively, this work advances the understanding of meniscal pathomechanics and identifies key mechanical factors that can inform joint-preservation strategies to improve long-term knee health.
