Sagittal plane evaluation of patellofemoral movement in patellofemoral pain patients with no evidence of maltracking.

The cause of abnormal patellar kinematics in patients with patellofemoral pain remains unclear. Many patients who develop patellofemoral pain symptoms do not exhibit evidence of maltracking. In these patients, sagittal plane evaluation of patellofemoral movement should be performed. Knee radiographs were obtained for forty healthy volunteers and thirty patients at 0°, 30°, 60°, 90° and 120° of flexion in a standing weight-bearing position. The degree of active patellar movement was measured by a newly developed technique called "patellar motion angle". Three independent examiners sequentially performed all of the measurements under identical conditions. A significant decrease in the patellar motion angle was found during deep knee flexion from 90° to 120° in the patient group compared to the volunteer group (mean 18.5° ± 5.8° and 23.6° ± 6.2°, respectively) (P = 0.001). From 0° to 90° of knee flexion, no significant differences in the patellar motion angle were found between the two groups. Sagittal plane patellofemoral joint kinematics is an area of interest in the study of the mechanical factors associated with patellofemoral pain. This study demonstrated a decrease in patellar movement during deep knee bending activity in patients with patellofemoral pain. Therapeutic study, Level II.

Citation

Rapeepat Narkbunnam, Keerati Chareancholvanich, Thossart Hanroongroj. Sagittal plane evaluation of patellofemoral movement in patellofemoral pain patients with no evidence of maltracking. Knee surgery, sports traumatology, arthroscopy : official journal of the ESSKA. 2015 Apr;23(4):986-90

Mesh Tags

PMID: 24292943

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