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Patellar Kinematics, Part I: The Influence of Vastus Muscle Activity in Subjects With and Without Patellofemoral Pain

CM Powers, PT, PhD, is Director, Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Laboratory, and Assistant Professor, Department of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, 1540 E Alcazar St, CHP-155, Los Angeles, CA 90033 (USA) (powers{at}hsc.usc.edu)

Background and Purpose. Reduced motor unit activity of the vastus medialis muscle relative to the vastus lateralis muscle has been implicated as a cause of lateral patellar subluxation. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of vastus muscle motor unit activity on patellar kinematics. Subjects. Twenty-three women (mean age=26.8 years, SD=8.5, range=14–46) with a diagnosis of patellofemoral pain and 12 women (mean age=29.1 years, SD=5.0, range=24–38) without patellofemoral pain participated. Only female subjects were studied because of potential biomechanical differences between sexes. Methods. Patellar kinematics (kinematic magnetic resonance imaging) and vastus muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity using indwelling electrodes were measured during resisted knee extension. Measurements of medial and lateral patellar displacement and tilt obtained from magnetic resonance images were correlated with normalized vastus lateralis:vastus medialis oblique muscle and vastus lateralis:vastus medialis longus muscle EMG ratios at 45, 36, 27, 18, 9, and 0 degrees of knee flexion using a stepwise regression procedure. Results. The vastus lateralis:vastus medialis longus muscle EMG ratio contributed to the prediction of lateral patellar displacement at 27 degrees of knee flexion (r=–.48), with increased vastus medialis longus muscle activity being associated with greater lateral patellar displacement. A similar inverse relationship was evident with lateral patellar tilt at 36, 27, 18, and 9 degrees of knee flexion. Conclusion and Discussion. These results suggest that increased motor unit activity of the vastus medialis muscle appears to be associated with abnormal patellar kinematics in women, but it is not necessarily a cause of abnormal patellar kinematics.

Key Words: Electromyography • Magnetic resonance imaging • Patellar kinematics • Patellofemoral joint • Quadriceps femoris muscle