Knock knee and the gait of six-year-old children.
OBJECTIVE
Knock knee (genu valgum) interferes with the locomotive and supporting function of the lower limb. In static conditions the load-bearing axis of the valgus limb is displaced laterally in relation to the middle of the joint, causing the knee joint, the ankle joint, and the foot as a whole to be weighted in the wrong way. The purpose of this work is to examine the influence of knock knee on gait kinematics.


METHODS
The gait of twenty-two 6-year-old children of both sexes in whom knock knee had been medically diagnosed was compared with the gait of 33 children of the same age whose knee joints conformed to the norm in formation and position. Gait was recorded separately for the sagittal and the frontal planes, using a video-computer system.


RESULTS
The results of the examination indicated statistically significant differences in the gait of the two groups of children. These differences related mainly to the time features of gait and to data on the angles in the knee and ankle joints. Although the results obtained for other features of gait did not reveal statistical differences, these did indicate that the children with knock knee walked more slowly and with a lower cadence.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that knock knee in 6-year-old children has an adverse impact on the mechanics of the lower limb joints in gait and causes a deterioration in gait quality. Thus knock knee in children should not be treated merely as a superficial defect but should be subject to therapy and, more importantly, taken into account when introducing children to early sports training.
Pretkiewicz-Abacjew
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Department of the Anthropomotor Basis of Health, Posture Laboratory, J. Sniadecki University School of Physical Education, Gdánsk, Poland. elabacjew@hotmail.com
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*