Biomechanical behavior of human crural fascia in anterior and posterior regions of the lower limb

The present work focuses on the numerical modeling of the mechanical behavior of the crural fascia, the deep fascia enwrapping the lower limb muscles. This fascia has an important biomechanical role, due to its interaction with muscles during contraction and its association with pathological events, such as compartment syndrome. The mechanical response of the crural fascia is described by assuming a hyperelastic fiber-reinforced constitutive model, with families of fibers disposed according to the spatial disposition of the collagen network, as shown in histological analyses. A two-dimensional finite element model of a lower limb transversal section has been developed to analyze deformational behavior, with particular attention on interaction phenomena between crural fascia and enwrapped muscles. The constitutive model adopted for the crural fascia well fits experimental data taken along the proximal-distal and medial-lateral directions. The finite element analysis allows for interpreting the relation between change in volume and pressure of muscle compartments and the crural fascia deformation.