Ultrasound investigation into the relationship between hip adduction and thepatellofemoral joint

摘要

[Purpose] Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common musculoskeletal complaint. It has beensuggested that hip adduction creates a load on the iliotibial band and causes lateraldisplacement of the patella (patella tilt). However, data gathered in a previous studywere derived from a small sample of males, while the condition predominantly affectsfemales. We assessed the relationship between hip adduction and patellar position with alarger sample size, including males and females. [Participants and Methods] Forty healthy,asymptomatic females and males (age 21.5 ± 1.3 years) were recruited. Their knees werepassively flexed by 20°. Using ultrasound, the distance between the lateral edge of thepatella and the lateral condyle of the femur was measured in the neutral position and at20° adduction. [Results] Hip adduction produced a smaller patella-lateral femoral condylemeasurement than in the neutral position. The mean difference in the patella-condyledistance between the neutral position and 20° hip adduction was 0.18 cm. No statisticallysignificant difference was found between the right and left limbs, genders, Tegner scores,or BMI of the study participants. [Conclusion] The results of the study showed that hipadduction causes lateral displacement of the patella. Ultrasound is an effective means ofassessing patella tilt.