The movement of the knee joint consists of a coupled motion between the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral articulations. This study measured the six degrees-of-freedom kinematics of the tibia, femur, and patella using dual-orthogonal fluoroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. Ten normal knees from ten living subjects were investigated during weightbearing flexion from full extension to maximum flexion. The femoral and the patellar motions were measured relative to the tibia. The femur externally rotated by and the patella tilted laterally by during the full range of knee flexion. Knee flexion was strongly correlated with patellar flexion , posterior femoral translation was strongly correlated to the posterior patellar translation , and internal-external rotation of the femur was correlated to patellar tilt and medial-lateral patellar translation . These data quantitatively indicate a kinematic coupling between the tibia, femur, and patella, and provide base line information on normal knee joint kinematics throughout the full range of weightbearing flexion. The data also suggest that the kinematic coupling of tibia, femur, and patella should be considered when investigating patellar pathologies and when developing surgical techniques to treat knee joint diseases.
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December 2007
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The Coupled Motion of the Femur and Patella During In Vivo Weightbearing Knee Flexion
Guoan Li, Ph.D.,
e-mail: gli1@partners.org
Guoan Li, Ph.D.
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
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Ramprasad Papannagari, MS,
Ramprasad Papannagari, MS
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
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Kyung Wook Nha, M.D.,
Kyung Wook Nha, M.D.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Inje University and Ilsan Paik Hospital
, 2240 Daehwa-dong, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang 411-706, South Korea
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Louis E. DeFrate, Sc.D.,
Louis E. DeFrate, Sc.D.
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
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Thomas J. Gill, M.D.,
Thomas J. Gill, M.D.
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
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Harry E. Rubash, M.D.
Harry E. Rubash, M.D.
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
Search for other works by this author on:
Guoan Li, Ph.D.
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114e-mail: gli1@partners.org
Ramprasad Papannagari, MS
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
Kyung Wook Nha, M.D.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,
Inje University and Ilsan Paik Hospital
, 2240 Daehwa-dong, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang 411-706, South Korea
Louis E. DeFrate, Sc.D.
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
Thomas J. Gill, M.D.
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114
Harry E. Rubash, M.D.
Bioengineering Laboratory
, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114J Biomech Eng. Dec 2007, 129(6): 937-943 (7 pages)
Published Online: April 19, 2007
Article history
Received:
December 12, 2006
Revised:
April 19, 2007
Citation
Li, G., Papannagari, R., Nha, K. W., DeFrate, L. E., Gill, T. J., and Rubash, H. E. (April 19, 2007). "The Coupled Motion of the Femur and Patella During In Vivo Weightbearing Knee Flexion." ASME. J Biomech Eng. December 2007; 129(6): 937–943. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2803267
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