title: Knee kinematic coupling in males and females: open and closed-chain tasks.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the magnitude of knee kinematic coupling between genders and among open- and closed-chain tasks. A secondary purpose was to compare the consistency of knee kinematic coupling between genders and among open- and closed-chain tasks. Vector-coding methods were used to quantify coupling in the sagittal and transverse planes of the knee between full extension and 20 degrees of flexion as 10 males and 10 females walked, ascended and descended stairs, and performed a passive pendulum leg drop. An ANOVA showed no main effect of gender. There was a main effect of task, where coupling during the stance phase of walking was significantly greater than each of the other tasks. Intraclass correlation values suggested that males were slightly more consistent than females. A general lack of divergence between genders may be related to the tasks analyzed in this study. It is possible that more strenuous tasks may elicit larger differences.
authors: Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, USA.
authors: Becky Avrin
authors: BA
authors: Zifchock
authors: Kristamarie
authors: K
authors: Pratt
authors: Allison
authors: A
authors: Brown
authors: Howard
authors: H
authors: Hillstrom
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors