Related Experiment Videos
Gait patterns of the diseased knee joint
Nihon Seikeigeka Gakkai Zasshi
|July 1, 1979
Summary
Knee joint disease impairs walking by increasing pain and instability. Patients exhibit altered gait, including reduced knee motion and increased muscle activity, impacting locomotion.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Orthopedics
- Kinesiology
Background:
- Knee joint disease, including inflammatory and degenerative conditions, compromises weight-bearing and mobility.
- The knee's complex structure makes it vulnerable to injury and disease, affecting gait mechanics.
- Understanding gait alterations is crucial for managing knee joint pathologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize gait patterns in patients with knee joint disease.
- To identify the underlying biomechanical mechanisms responsible for abnormal gait.
- To correlate gait deviations with pain and instability severity.
Main Methods:
- Biomechanical gait analysis involving 21 patients (11 bilateral, 10 unilateral knee disease) and 7 healthy controls.
- Data acquisition using force plates, xylophone plates, electromyography (EMG), and electrogoniometry.
- Detailed description of equipment and analytical methodologies employed.
Main Results:
- Gait is adversely affected by pain and instability severity in knee joint disease.
- Observed gait alterations include decreased sagittal plane knee motion during stance.
- Increased quadriceps and hamstring EMG activity during stance and greater lateral ground reaction force were noted.
Conclusions:
- Pain and instability significantly influence locomotion in individuals with knee joint disease.
- Abnormal gait patterns are characterized by specific changes in knee motion and muscle activation.
- Biomechanical analysis provides insight into the functional deficits associated with knee joint pathology.