Tibiofemoral Kinematics of the Knee During the Stance Phase of Gait After ACL Deficiency

Numerous studies have demonstrated that ACL deficiency could lead to further meniscus tear and cartilage degeneration. The post-injury joint degeneration has been mainly attributed to altered joint kinematics caused by ACL deficiency. Therefore, understanding of the effect of ACL injuries on knee joint motion is critical for development of conservative treatment or surgical reconstruction of the ACL injured knees. However, few data have been reported on the influence of ACL deficiency on knee joint motion during gait [1,2] — the most commonly performed daily activities. The objective of this study was to determine the 6DOF kinematics of the knee after ACL injuries during gait on a treadmill and to compare the kinematics data to those measured from the intact contralateral side using a combined dual fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS) and MR image technique [3,4]. We hypothesized that the 6DOF tibiofemoral kinematics of ACL-deficient knees would be altered even under low demand activities such as walking.