Abstract
Background: Tibial rotation accompanying sagittal movement contains the phenomenon of screw-home movement of the knee, which plays an important role in knee stability during extension. This study aimed to investigate the alteration of screw-home movement in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).Methods: Participants (n =67) in this cross-sectional study were outpatients in the department of orthopedics of a general hospital and included patients with knee OA (n=31) and asymptomatic control subjects (n=36).Knee kinematic data were measured using an inertial measurement unit. The total tibial rotation was obtainedduring knee sagittal movement. The acquired angle of tibial rotation was divided into four periodseach extension and flexion. The total tibial rotation and the variation of each period were compared between the OA and control groups.Results: Significant differences arose between the OA and control groups in the total tibial rotation during knee extension and flexion(P< 0.001).The variation of tibial rotation was also significantly different between groups for all periods (P< 0.001; knee extensionat 70° to 45°,P = 0.014).Conclusions: We found a reduction in the total tibial rotation and loss of the screw-home movement in the unloaded OA knee. To normalize the screw-home movement, it is necessary to promote proper articular movement of the knee joint and suppress the hyperexcitability of the medial muscles.
Alteration of Screw-home Movement in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Cross-sectional Study
