A descriptive report of the variability in 3D hip and knee kinematics during a single limb squat in women who have patellofemoral pain and visually classified dynamic knee valgus.
Anna M Di Staulo, Sara A Scholtes, Gretchen B Salsich
PMID 31809631WHAT IT FOUND
Women with patellofemoral pain and visually identified knee valgus had highly individual 3D hip and knee patterns, even when 2D knee angles looked similar.
In these 23 women after movement training, the 2D knee angle decreased, but no single joint explained the change.
Key findings
01Participants visually classified as having dynamic knee valgus showed unique 3D hip and knee patterns, and two participants with nearly identical 2D knee angles differed in their 3D components.
02The mean 2D knee angle decreased from 7.2 degrees to -8.9 degrees following the intervention, and all but one participant showed a decrease.
03After the intervention, most 3D change came from decreased hip adduction, knee lateral rotation, and hip medial rotation, with the least change in knee abduction, but individual joint changes varied.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a descriptive secondary analysis of 23 women, not a randomised controlled trial, so it cannot show that the intervention caused the kinematic changes. All participants received the same intervention and there was no comparison group, so the study cannot separate the intervention effect from repeated testing or natural change over time. The sample was fairly homogeneous: relatively young, healthy, active women with patellofemoral pain, so results may not apply to other people with knee pain. Dynamic knee valgus was visually classified during real-time observation, and marker placement error could have influenced the 3D kinematic variability.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the movement training caused the knee angle decrease, because this was a descriptive secondary analysis of 23 women with no control group and all participants received the intervention.