The Journal of Orthopaedic Research

H. James Pfaeffle, Matthew M. Tomaino, Rupinder Grewal, Jiangming Xu, N. Douglas Boardman, Savio L-Y. Woo, James H. Herndon


The interosseous membrane is a fibrous tissue structure in the deep forearm which joins the radius and the ulna. It contains a prominent central ligamentous portion which has been referred to as the "central band". Many authors believe that the interosseous membrane plays an important biomechanical role in the forearm and may function like a "ligament". The objective of this study was to determine the tensile properties of the central band to better characterize its biomechanical behavior during load bearing.

Eighteen fresh frozen cadaveric forearms (age range 45-70 years) were used in this study. A carefully dissected bundle of the interosseous membrane central band was subjected to a uniaxial tensile test to failure in a materials testing machine. Load-elongation and stress-strain curves were obtained from which tensile properties were calculated. Stiffness, ultimate load, and energy absorbed to failure were normalized by specimen width. The central band structure has a linear stiffness of 13.1 ± 3.0 N/mm per mm width, ultimate load of 56.6 ± 15.1 N per mm width, energy absorbed to failure of 0.15 ± 0.06 J per mm width, and elongation at failure of 5.4 ± 1.5 mm. It was also found that the interosseous membrane central band tissue has a modulus of 608.1 ± 160.2 MPa, ultimate tensile strength of 45.1 ± 10.3 MPa, and strain at failure of

9.0 ± 2.0 % (mean ± standard deviation).

This study demonstrates that the central band of the interosseous membrane is comprised of a strong and resilient tissue, with tensile properties similar to patellar tendon. As a structure, the interosseous membrane appears to be very stiff and capable of bearing high loads. The results obtained provide a basis for further analyses of forearm load bearing behavior, and the selection of a tissue graft for interosseous membrane reconstruction.