Direct measurement of local pressures in the cadaveric human hip joint during simulated level walking.

Eleven piezoelectric pressure transducers, each supporting an area of articular cartilage about 3 mm in diameter, were inserted through the bone of the acetabulum. Nine cadaveric hip joints, thus instrumented, were subjected to forces representing six instants in a typical level walking cycle, including the highest and lowest force. Under the highest force, the maximum pressure measured ranged from 4.93 to 9.57 MN m-2. The transducer positions which were subjected to the highest pressures were subjected at some other instant in the cycle to pressures which were an order of magnitude lower, or to zero pressure.