The sacroiliac joint (SIJ) exhibits significant variation in auricular surface morphology. This variation influences the mechanics of the SIJ, a central node for transmitting mechanical energy from upper body to lower limbs and vice versa. The impact of the auricular surface morphology on stress and deformation in the SIJ remains poorly understood to date. Computed tomography scans obtained from 281 individuals were included to extract the geometry of the pelvic ring. Then, the auricular surface area, SIJ cartilage thickness, and total SIJ cartilage volume were identified. Based on these reconstructions, 281 finite element models were created to simulate SIJ mechanical loading. It was found that SIJ cartilage thickness only weakly depended on age or laterality, while being strongly sex sensitive. Auricular surface area and SIJ cartilage volume depended weakly and non-linearly on age, peaking around menopause in females, but without significant laterality effect. Larger SIJs, characterized by greater auricular area and cartilage volume, exhibited reduced stress and deformation under loading. These findings highlight the significant role of SIJ morphology in its biomechanical response, suggesting a potential link between morphological variations and the risk of SIJ dysfunction. Understanding this relationship could improve diagnosis and targeted treatment strategies for SIJ-related conditions.

Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery University of Leipzig Leipzig Germany

Division of Biomechatronics Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU Dresden Germany

Division of Macroscopic and Clinical Anatomy Gottfried Schatz Research Center Medical University Graz Graz Austria

Institute of New Technologies and Applied Informatics Faculty of Mechatronics Informatics and Interdisciplinary Studies Technical University of Liberec Liberec Czechia

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BoneDat, a database of standardized bone morphology for in silico analyses