Posterior cruciate ligament strain biomechanics in total knee arthroplasty.

To evaluate the role of the posterior cruciate ligament in total knee arthroplasty, 8 normal whole-leg cadaveric legs were studied. Strain patterns of the posterior cruciate ligament were measured during active and passive knee flexion extension. Total knee arthroplasty was performed, and posterior cruciate ligament strain was measured again. The standard tibial insert was removed, and 3 additional tibial trays were used: flat, 10 degrees sloped, and 15 degrees sloped. The posterior cruciate ligament strain was recorded for each tibial insert. Total knee arthroplasty with a standard insert produced a large range of posterior cruciate ligament strain values (+/- 6%). Of the 8 specimens, 3 produced excessively taut posterior cruciate ligament strain, 3 were slack, and 2 returned strain to the baseline strain value. Changing the surface contour and slope of the tibial inserts did not produce any consistent change in the posterior cruciate ligament strain pattern. The ability of total knee arthroplasty to reproduce normal posterior cruciate ligament strain behavior has not been demonstrated.