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Identifying multiplanar knee laxity profiles and associated physical characteristics.
Sandra J Shultz1, William N Dudley, Yanfang Kong
1Applied Neuromechanics Research Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, 1408 Walker Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA. sjshultz@uncg.edu
Journal of Athletic Training
|April 11, 2012
Summary
Knee laxity varies significantly across different planes of motion and is influenced by factors like age, body composition, and thigh strength. Understanding these multiplanar knee laxity profiles is crucial for assessing injury risk.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Orthopedics
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Assessing knee joint laxity solely in one plane is insufficient for understanding its association with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.
- Previous research has not fully characterized the complex interplay of multiplanar knee laxity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify individual differences in the absolute and relative degrees of multiplanar knee laxity.
- To identify physical characteristics associated with variations in knee laxity across sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive laboratory study involving 140 participants (90 women, 50 men).
- Cluster analysis was used to group participants into distinct knee laxity profiles based on anterior knee laxity (AKL), genu recurvatum (GR), varus/valgus (VV), and internal-external rotation (IER).
- Multinomial logistic regression analyzed the relationship between laxity clusters and physical factors like sex, age, BMI, and lower extremity alignment.
Main Results:
- Six distinct knee laxity clusters were identified, including overall low, moderate, and high laxity, as well as profiles with disproportionately high VV/IER, GR, or AKL.
- Older age and longer femur length were associated with the low laxity cluster.
- Greater VV and IER laxity were linked to younger age, lower BMI, smaller Q-angle, shorter femur length, and reduced thigh strength.
- High GR laxity was more prevalent in females with smaller tibiofemoral angles and longer femurs.
- High AKL laxity was associated with greater hip anteversion and navicular drop.
Conclusions:
- Multiplanar knee laxity is not uniform and is influenced by age, body composition, thigh strength, and anatomical alignment.
- Sex was generally not a significant predictor of laxity profiles, except for the high GR cluster, after accounting for other physical characteristics.
