Knee position sense: does the time interval at the target angle affect position accuracy?
Shmuel Springer, Dor Kelman, Moshe Brand and 1 others
PMID 29184285WHAT IT FOUND
Knee position accuracy did not differ when the target angle was held for 3, 6, 9, or 12 seconds.
Across repeat testing, consistency was fair-to-good at 3, 6, and 12 seconds and poor at 9 seconds.
Key findings
01Knee position accuracy did not significantly differ across the tested hold times or between weeks.
02Test consistency was fair-to-good for 3, 6, and 12 second intervals and poor for the 9 second interval.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included 20 healthy young adults, average age 20.6 ± 2.1 years, with no current or previous conditions that could affect proprioception. It does not show the same pattern in people with knee pain, anterior cruciate ligament injury, patellofemoral pain, or osteoarthritis. Only the dominant leg was tested, so the result may not apply to the non-dominant leg or to side-to-side comparisons. Only 3, 6, 9, and 12 second intervals were tested, with two trials per interval. Other hold times and more trials were not examined. The study assessed measurement consistency, not treatment effects, injury prevention, or patient function.
Declared interests
No funding was reported. The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that 3, 6, and 12 second hold times are the best clinical choice for patients with knee problems. The study was small and used healthy young adults, and it tested assessment consistency, not treatment benefit.