Normative Three-Dimensional Patellofemoral and Tibiofemoral Kinematics: a Dynamic, in Vivo Study

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING, VOL. 54, NO. 7, JULY 2007

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Normative Three-Dimensional Patellofemoral and Tibiofemoral Kinematics: A Dynamic, in Vivo Study
Andrea R. Seisler and Frances T. Sheehan*
Abstract—In order to advance biomechanical modeling, knee joint implant design and clinical treatment of knee joint pathology, accurate in vivo kinematic data of the combined patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joint during volitional activity are critical. For example, one cause of the increased prevalence of anterior knee pain in the female population is hypothesized to be altered tibiofemoral kinematics, resulting in pathological patellofemoral kinematics. Thus, the objectives of this paper were to test the hypothesis that knee joint kinematics vary based on gender and to explore the correlation between the 3-D kinematics of the patellofemoral and tibiofemoral joints. In order to accomplish these goals, a large (n = 34) normative database of combined six degree of freedom patellofemoral and tibiofemoral kinematics, acquired noninvasively during volitional knee extension-flexion using fast-PC (dynamic) magnetic resonance imaging, was established. In this normative database, few correlations between tibiofemoral and patellofemoral kinematics were found. Specifically, tibial external rotation did not predict lateral patellar tilt, as has been stated in previous studies. In general, significant differences could not be found based on gender. Further investigation into these relationships in the presence of pathology is warranted. Index Terms—Femur, gender, healthy, kinematics, knee, patella, patellofemoral, tibia, tibiofemoral.

I. INTRODUCTION HE quality of biomechanical models, accuracy of clinical diagnosis, and fidelity of joint implants are all dependent upon the quality of the in vivo experimental data used in their creation. For this reason there have been a host of experimental and modeling studies focused on knee joint dynamics. Yet, current

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