Knee strength and knee adduction moments following arthroscopic partial meniscectomy.
OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the relationship between muscular strength about the knee and knee joint moments during gait in patients who had undergone arthroscopic partial meniscectomy (APM).


METHODS
One hundred and two APM patients and 42 age-matched nonoperated controls underwent strength testing and three-dimensional gait analysis. Patients were divided into weak and normal subgroups and compared with controls for spatiotemporal, kinematic, and kinetic gait parameters.


RESULTS
Spatiotemporal parameters, kinematics, and sagittal plane kinetics were similar between APM patients and controls. The APM group displayed weaker concentric knee extension and flexion strength compared with controls. The weak APM subgroup had an increased average and peak knee adduction moments over stance compared with the APM subgroup with normal strength levels and controls. The normal strength APM subgroup had a larger peak knee adduction moment in early stance compared with controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Achieving normal lower limb muscle strength following APM appears important to resume normal frontal plane loading of the knee while walking.
Sturnieks
Daina L
DL
School of Human Movement and Exercise Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
Besier
Thor F
TF
Hamer
Peter W
PW
Ackland
Timothy R
TR
Mills
Peter M
PM
Stachowiak
Gwidon W
GW
Podsiadlo
Pawel
P
Lloyd
David G
DG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001182:Arthroscopy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology; D052097:Quadriceps Muscle / Q000502:physiology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology