ABSTRACT
Knowledge of joint-articulating surface motion is essential for design of prosthetic devices to restore function; assessment of joint wear, stability, and degeneration; and determination of proper diagnosis and surgical treatment of joint disease. In general, kinematic analysis of human movement can be arranged into two separate categories: (1) gross movement of the limb segments interconnected by joints, or (2) detailed analysis of joint articulating surface motion, which is described in this chapter. Gross movement is the relative three-dimensional joint rotation as described by adopting the Eulerian angle system. Movement of this type is described in Chapter 5: Analysis of Gait. In general, the three-dimensional unconstrained rotation and translation of an articulating joint can be described utilizing the concept of the screw displacement axis. The most commonly used analytic method for the description of 6-degree-of-freedom displacement of a rigid body is the screw displacement axis [Kinzel et al., 1972; Spoor and Veldpaus, 1980; Woltring et al., 1985].
