Premium
Gender differences in trochlear groove orientation and rotational kinematics of human knees
Author(s) -
Varadarajan Kartik M.,
Gill Thomas J.,
Freiberg Andrew A.,
Rubash Harry E.,
Li Guoan
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of orthopaedic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.041
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1554-527X
pISSN - 0736-0266
DOI - 10.1002/jor.20844
Subject(s) - medicine , anatomy , kinematics , sexual dimorphism , external rotation , orientation (vector space) , orthodontics , ligament , groove (engineering) , anterior cruciate ligament , knee joint , internal rotation , range of motion , osteoarthritis , rotation (mathematics) , surgery , geometry , mathematics , physics , materials science , mechanical engineering , classical mechanics , engineering , metallurgy , alternative medicine , pathology
Abstract Knowledge of the morphology and kinematics of the male and female knees is important for understanding gender‐related dimorphism in knee pathology and improvement of related surgical treatments. Twelve male and 12 female subjects with healthy knees were recruited, and each subject performed a single leg lunge while images of the knee were recorded by two fluoroscopes. Tibiofemoral joint motion was then reproduced using bony models matched to the fluoroscopic images. Femoral trochlear groove orientation was also measured in each knee. While many of the measured parameters were found to be similar between the genders, a few interesting differences were also noted. Females showed greater external tibial rotation at 0° flexion (−5.4° vs. −1.3 °, p = 0.03), smaller internal rotation at 30° flexion (1.7° vs. 6.4°, p = 0.04) and greater range of tibial rotation (18.2° vs. 12.4°, p = 0.01) compared to males. Female knees also had a more medially oriented proximal trochlear groove (10.0° vs. 4.5°, p = 0.04). These gender differences in rotational kinematics and trochlear groove orientation may warrant further studies to determine implications for surgical treatments such as total knee arthroplasty, and gender‐related dimorphism in certain knee injuries and pathologies, like anterior cruciate ligament injury and patellofemoral problems. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27: 871–878, 2009