Effects of Anterior Knee Displacement During Squatting on Patellofemoral Joint Stress
Context:
Squatting is a common rehabilitation training exercise for patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). Patellofemoral joint stress (PFJS) during squatting with more anterior knee displacement has not been systematically investigated.
Objective:
To compare PFJS during squatting using 2 techniques: squat while keeping the knees behind the toes (SBT) and squat while allowing the knees to go past the toes (SPT).
Setting:
University research laboratory.
Participants:
Twenty-five healthy females (age: 22.69 (0.74) y; height: 169.39 (6.44) cm; mass: 61.55 (9.74) kg) participated.
Main Outcome Measures:
Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data were collected at 180 and 1800 Hz, respectively. A musculoskeletal model was used to calculate muscle forces through static optimization. These muscle forces were used in a patellofemoral joint model to estimate PFJS.
Results:
The magnitudes of PFJS, reaction force, and quadriceps force were higher (P < .001) during SPT compared with the SBT technique. Knee flexion, hip flexion, and ankle dorsiflexion angles were reduced when using the SBT technique.
Conclusions:
Findings provide some general support for minimizing forward knee translation during squats for patients that may have patellofemoral pain syndrome.
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