FORCES ACTING ON DOGS ARTICULAR STRUCTURE S, BEFORE AND AFTER CRANIALCRUCIATE LIGAMENT TRANSECTION IN THE STATIC QUADRUPEDAL STANCE - AN EXTENSOMETRIC STUDY

A compressive load was applied to dogs stifles anatomical preparations , with strain gauges attached to the tibial proximal end. This was mad e under static conditions equivalent to the canine quadrupedal stance, before and after cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) transection. Normal specimens showed a typical stress pattern that confirms the predomina nce of a sagittal bending force in the stable knee. With the ligament deficient knees, this stress pattern is altered, pointing to an extern al torsion force apparition with a medio-lateral bending moment compon ent. The consequences are an increased shearing stress on the menisci and the articular cartilage, and a strong torsional and tensive stress on the caudal ligamentous structures, particularly at the caudo-media l and the caudo-lateral angles.