Modeling of the stress state of the thumb carpometacarpal joint

The stress state of the carpometacarpal joint (CMJ)was studied in sound and pathologic states by methods of continuum mechanics. The CMJ geometric model was constructed according to the results of computer processing of the data of tomographic investigations in the extension position, which were obtained at Cheng Kung Medical University (Taiwan). The study of contact interactions in the CML region for a given geometry were performed numerically in the ABAQUS program code. The obtained numerical solutions of contact problems permit comparatively analyzing the stress distribution in the bone tissue for various thumb positions and study the stress state dependence on the bone tissue porosity (osteoporosis), which varies with human age.