Orthopaedic Bioengineering Laboratory

Dedicated to optimizing the evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries to the knee joint, the Bioengineering Laboratory at the Massachusetts General Hospital is one of most active and highly respected research laboratories in athletic medicine today.

Injuries to the knee often disturb the training and competition schedule of people involved in sports activities. In the healthy knee, the muscles surrounding the joint seamlessly work together with the cruciate and collateral ligaments, the menisci, and cartilage inside the joint to create a smooth, balanced knee motion. However, once one or more of the supporting structures is injured during sports, the remaining structures have to work harder in an attempt to stabilize the knee. Frequently, surgical and rehabilitation procedures are required to re-establish the balanced knee motion, and to prevent secondary injury to the other knee structures.

Under the direction of Dr. Guoan Li and Dr. Thomas Gill, the Bioengineering Laboratory research team has developed an advanced dual-orthogonal fluoroscopic and magnetic resonance imaging technique to quantify the in vivo biomechanics of the healthy, injured and surgically reconstructed musculoskeletal system. Current areas of study include:

The progress in understanding the injury mechanisms has established physiological guidelines for more accurate ligament reconstruction techniques and optimized rehabilitation protocols.

The Bioengineering Laboratory Sports Medicine Research Group consists of a team of biomechanical engineers, physicists, and physicians, working in close collaboration with the orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapists of the Massachusetts General Hospital Sports Medicine Service to help all patients achieve their maximum potential in sports.

More information on the Bioengineering Laboratory can be found at www2.massgeneral.org/ortho/Bioengineering.htm

Recent Publications:

Van de Velde, S.K., Gill, T.J., DeFrate, L.E., Papannagari, R. & Li, G. (2008). The effect of anterior cruciate ligament deficiency and reconstruction on the patellofemoral joint. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 36, 1150-1159.

Li, G., Van de Velde, S.K., & Bingham, J.T. (2008). Validation of a non-invasive fluoroscopic imaging technique for the measurement of dynamic knee joint motion. Journal of Biomechanics, 41, 1616-1622.

Kozanek, M., Van de Velde, S.K., Gill, T.J. & Li, G. (2008). The contralateral knee joint in cruciate ligament deficiency. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 36, 2151-2157.

Nha, K.W., Papannagari, R., Gill, T.J., Van de Velde, S.K., Freiberg, A.A., Rubash, H.E., & Li, G. (2008). In vivo patellar tracking: clinical motions and patellofemoral indices. Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 26, 1067-1074.

Li. G., Papannagari, R., Li, M., Bingham, J., Nha, K.W., Allred, D., & Gill, T. (2008). Effect of posterior cruciate ligament deficiency on in vivo translation and rotation of the knee during weightbearing flexion. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 36, 474-479.

Boyer P.J., Massimini, D.F., Gill, T.J., Papannagari, R., Stewart, S.L., Warner, J.P., & Li, G. (2008). In vivo articular cartilage contact at the glenohumeral joint: preliminary report. Journal of Orthopaedic Science, 13, 359-365.

Van de Velde, S.K., Gil, T.J., & Li, G. (2009). Dual fluoroscopic analysis of the posterior cruciate ligament-deficient patellofemoral joint during lunge. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 41, 1198-1205

Gadikota, H.R., Seon, J.K., Kozanek, M., Oh, L.S., Gill, T.J., Montgomery, K.D., Li, G. (2009). Biomechanical comparison of single-tunnel-double-bundle and single-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 37, 962-969.

Van de Velde, S.K., Bingham, J.T., Gill, T.J. & Li, G. (2009). Analysis of tibiofemoral cartilage deformation in the posterior cruciate ligament-deficient knee. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American volume, 91, 167-175.

Li, G., Kozanek, M., Hosseini, A., Liu, F., Van de Velde, S.K., & Rubash, H.E. (2009). New fluoroscopic imaging technique for investigation of 6DOF knee kinematics during treadmill gait. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, 4, 6.

Kozanek, M., Fu, E.C., Van de Velde, S.K., Gill, T.J., & Li, G. (2009). Posterolateral structures of the knee in posterior cruciate ligament deficiency. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 37(3), 534-541.

Van de Velde, S.K., Gill, T.J., & Li, G. (2009). Evaluation of kinematics of anterior cruciate ligament-deficient knees with use of advanced imaging techniques, three-dimensional modeling techniques, and robotics. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American volume, 91(Supplement 1), 108-114.

Van de Velde, S.K., & Pearle, A.D. (2009). Section VI: Malalignment and ligamentous injury. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American volume, 91(Supplement 1), 77.

Varadarajan, K.M., Gill, T.J., Freiberg, A.A., Rubash, H.E., & Li, G. (2009). Gender differences in trochlear groove orientation and rotational kinematics of human knees. Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 27, 871-878.

Alpert, J.M., Kozanek, M., Li, G., Kelly, B.T., & Asnis, P.D. (2009) Cross-sectional analysis of the iliopsoas tendon and its relationship to the acetabular labrum: an anatomic study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 37(8), 1594-1598.

Hosseini, A., Gill, T.J., & Li, G. (2009) In vivo anterior cruciate ligament elongation in response to axial tibial loads. Journal of Orthopaedic Science, 14(3). 298-306.

Kozanek, M., Hosseini, A., Liu, F., Van de Velde, S.K., Gill, T.J., Rubash, H.E., & Li, G. (2009). Tibiofemoral kinematics and condylar motion during the stance phase of gait. Journal of Biomechanics, 42(12), 1877-1884.

Seon, J.K., Gadikota, H.R., Kozanek, M., Oh, L.S., Gill, T.J., & Li, G. (2009). The effect of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction on kinematics of the knee with combined anterior cruciate ligament injury and subtotal medial meniscectomy: an in vitro robotic investigation. Arthroscopy, 25(2),123-130 (Epub 2008 Nov 1).

Alpert, J.M., Kozanek, M., Li, G., Kelly, B.T., & Asnis, P.D. (2009). Cross-sectional analysis of the iliopsoas tendon and its relationship to the acetabular labrum: an anatomic study. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 37(8), 1594-1598 (Epub 2009 Apr 8).

Gill TJ, Van de Velde S, Wing D, Oh L, Hosseini A, Li G. (2009). Tibiofemoral and Patellofemoral Kinematics after Reconstruction of an Isolated Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: An In Vivo Analysis during Lunge. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 10, 1-9.

Alpert J, Kozanek M, Asnis P, Li G, Kelly BT. Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Iliopoas Tendon and Its Relationship to the Acetabular Labrum: An Anatomic Study. Am J Sports Med. 2009 Aug; 37(8): 1594-98.

Gadikota HR, Wu JL, Seon JK, Sutton KM, Gill TJ, Li G. Single-tunnel double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with anatomical placement of hamstring tendon graft: can it restore normal knee joint kinematics? Am J Sports Med. 2010 Apr; 38 (4):713-20.

Gill TJ, Van de Velde SK, Wing DW, Oh LS, Hosseini A, Li G. Tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics after reconstruction of an isolated posterior cruciate ligament injury: in vivo analysis during lunge. Am J Sports Med. 2009 Dec; 37(12): 2377-85.

Hosseini A, Van de Velde SK, Kozanek M, Gill TJ, Grodzinsky AJ, Rubash HE, Li G. In-vivo time-dependent articular cartilage contact behavior of the tibiofemoral joint. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2010 Apr 29. (Epub ahead of print).

Kozanek M, Hosseini A, Liu F, Van de Velde SK, Gill TJ, Rubash HE, Li G. Tibiofemoral kinematics and condylar motion during the stance phase of gait. J Biomech. 2009 Aug 25:42(12):1877-84.

Liu F, Kozanek M, Hosseini A, Van de Velde SK, Gill TJ, Rubash HE, Li G. In vivo tibiofemoral cartilage deformation during the stance phase of gait. J Biomech. 2010 Mar 3;43(4):658-65.

Seon JK, Gadikota HR, Wu JL, Sutton KM, Gill TJ, Li G. Comparison of Single-and Double-Bundle Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions in Restoration of Knee Kinematics and Anterior Cruciate Ligament Forces. Am J sports Med. 2010 Apr 14.

Song EK, Oh LS, Gill TJ, Li G, Gadikota HR, Seon JK. Prospective comparative study of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using the double-bundle and single-bundle techniques. Am J Sports Med. 2009 Sept; 37(9):1705-11.

Van de Velde SK, Bingham JT, Hosseini A, Kozanek M, DeFrate LE, Gill TJ, Li G. Increased tibiofemoral cartilage contact deformation in patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency. Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Dec; 60(12):3693-702.

Van de Velde SK, Hosseini A, Kozanek M, Gill TJ, Rubash HE, Li G. Application guidelines for dynamic knee joint analysis with a dual fluoroscopic imaging system. Acta Orthop Belg. 2010 Feb; 76(1)107-13.

Varadarajan KM, Gill TJ, Freiberg AA, Rubash HE, Li G. Patellar tendon orientation and patellar tracking in male and female knees. J Orthop Res. 2010 Mar; 28(3): 322-8.

Wu JL, Hosseini A, Hozanek M, Gadikota HR, Gill TJ, Li G. Kinematics of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament During Gait. Am J Sports Med. 2010 May 4. (Epub ahead of print).

Wu JL, Seon JK, Gadikota HR, Hosseini A, Sutton KM, Gill TJ, Li G. In situ forces in the anteromedial and posterolateral bundles of the anterior cruciate ligament under simulated functional loading conditions. Am J Sports Med. 2010 Mar; 38(3):558-63.

^ back to top

< back to education & research