Influence of Individual Characteristics on Static Rotational Knee Laxity Using the Rotameter

Overview

Journal Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc

Publisher Wiley

Specialties Emergency Medicine
General Surgery
Orthopedics

Date 2012 Jan 17

PMID 22246548

Citations 11

Authors

Caroline Mouton

Romain Seil

Helene Agostinis

Stefan Maas

Daniel Theisen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of individual characteristics on rotational knee laxity in healthy participants. Our second aim was to verify whether the contralateral knee of patients with a non-contact ACL injury presents greater rotational knee laxity than a healthy control group.

Methods: Sixty healthy participants and 23 patients having sustained a non-contact ACL injury were tested with a new Rotameter prototype applying torques up to 10 Nm. Multiple linear regressions were performed to investigate the influence of gender, age, height and body mass on rotational knee laxity and to establish normative references for a set of variables related to rotational knee laxity. Multiple analyses of covariance were performed to compare the contralateral knee of ACL-injured patients and healthy participants.

Results: Being a women was associated with a significantly (P < 0.05) higher rotational knee laxity, and increased body mass was related to lower laxity results. In the multiple analyses of covariance, gender and body mass were also frequently associated with rotational knee laxity. When controlling for these variables, there were no differences in measurements between the contralateral leg of patients and healthy participants.

Conclusion: In the present setting, gender and body mass significantly influenced rotational knee laxity. Furthermore, based on these preliminary results, patients with non-contact ACL injuries do not seem to have excessive rotational knee laxity.

Level Of Evidence: Retrospective comparative study, Level III.

Citing Articles

Measures of knee internal and external rotation made with a digital inclinometer are consistent with the measures made with an electromagnetic tracking system.

Timmons M, Copley H, Darnell D, Jude S, McIlvain G J Exp Orthop. 2025; 12(1):e70209.

PMID: 40070595 PMC: 11894440. DOI: 10.1002/jeo2.70209.

Reliability of a Robotic Knee Testing Tool to Assess Rotational Stability of the Knee Joint in Healthy Female and Male Volunteers.

Beckley S, Stinton S, Lesosky M, September A, Collins M, Branch T Sports Med Open. 2020; 6(1):33.

PMID: 32748169 PMC: 7399727. DOI: 10.1186/s40798-020-00266-7.

Comparison of a simplified skin pointer device compared with a skeletal marker for knee rotation laxity: A cadaveric study using a rotation-meter.

Puah K, Yew A, Chou S, Lie D World J Orthop. 2018; 9(6):85-91.

PMID: 29984195 PMC: 6033708. DOI: 10.5312/wjo.v9.i6.85.

The Restoration of Passive Rotational Tibio-Femoral Laxity after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.

Moewis P, Duda G, Jung T, Heller M, Boeth H, Kaptein B PLoS One. 2016; 11(7):e0159600.

PMID: 27467744 PMC: 4965218. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159600.

Design, Repeatability, and Comparison to Literature Data of a New Noninvasive Device Called "Rotameter" to Measure Rotational Knee Laxity.

Neumann S, Maas S, Waldmann D, Ricci P, Zurbes A, Arnoux P Int Sch Res Notices. 2016; 2015:439095.

PMID: 27347518 PMC: 4897369. DOI: 10.1155/2015/439095.

References

Musahl V, Bell K, Tsai A, Costic R, Allaire R, Zantop T . Development of a simple device for measurement of rotational knee laxity. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2007; 15(8):1009-12. DOI: 10.1007/s00167-007-0317-9. View

Schmitz R, Ficklin T, Shimokochi Y, Nguyen A, Beynnon B, Perrin D . Varus/valgus and internal/external torsional knee joint stiffness differs between sexes. Am J Sports Med. 2008; 36(7):1380-8. PMC: 2562882. DOI: 10.1177/0363546508317411. View

Koga H, Nakamae A, Shima Y, Iwasa J, Myklebust G, Engebretsen L . Mechanisms for noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injuries: knee joint kinematics in 10 injury situations from female team handball and basketball. Am J Sports Med. 2010; 38(11):2218-25. DOI: 10.1177/0363546510373570. View

Berns G, Hull M, Patterson H . Strain in the anteromedial bundle of the anterior cruciate ligament under combination loading. J Orthop Res. 1992; 10(2):167-76. DOI: 10.1002/jor.1100100203. View

Benjaminse A, Gokeler A, van der Schans C . Clinical diagnosis of an anterior cruciate ligament rupture: a meta-analysis. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2006; 36(5):267-88. DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2006.2011. View

Branch T, Browne J, Campbell J, Siebold R, Freedberg H, Arendt E . Rotational laxity greater in patients with contralateral anterior cruciate ligament injury than healthy volunteers. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2009; 18(10):1379-84. DOI: 10.1007/s00167-009-1010-y. View

Alam M, Bull A, Thomas R, Amis A . Measurement of rotational laxity of the knee: in vitro comparison of accuracy between the tibia, overlying skin, and foot. Am J Sports Med. 2011; 39(12):2575-81. DOI: 10.1177/0363546511424872. View

Weir J . Quantifying test-retest reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient and the SEM. J Strength Cond Res. 2005; 19(1):231-40. DOI: 10.1519/15184.1. View

Tsai A, Musahl V, Steckel H, Bell K, Zantop T, Irrgang J . Rotational knee laxity: reliability of a simple measurement device in vivo. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2008; 9:35. PMC: 2315651. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2474-9-35. View

10.

Shultz S, Schmitz R, Beynnon B . Variations in varus/valgus and internal/external rotational knee laxity and stiffness across the menstrual cycle. J Orthop Res. 2010; 29(3):318-25. PMC: 3176732. DOI: 10.1002/jor.21243. View

11.

Hewett T, Torg J, Boden B . Video analysis of trunk and knee motion during non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injury in female athletes: lateral trunk and knee abduction motion are combined components of the injury mechanism. Br J Sports Med. 2009; 43(6):417-22. PMC: 4062295. DOI: 10.1136/bjsm.2009.059162. View

12.

Shoemaker S, Markolf K . In vivo rotatory knee stability. Ligamentous and muscular contributions. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1982; 64(2):208-16. View

13.

Woodford-Rogers B, Cyphert L, Denegar C . Risk factors for anterior cruciate ligament injury in high school and college athletes. J Athl Train. 1994; 29(4):343-6. PMC: 1317810. View

14.

Shultz S, Shimokochi Y, Nguyen A, Schmitz R, Beynnon B, Perrin D . Measurement of varus-valgus and internal-external rotational knee laxities in vivo--Part I: assessment of measurement reliability and bilateral asymmetry. J Orthop Res. 2007; 25(8):981-8. DOI: 10.1002/jor.20397. View

15.

Hsu W, Fisk J, Yamamoto Y, Debski R, Woo S . Differences in torsional joint stiffness of the knee between genders: a human cadaveric study. Am J Sports Med. 2006; 34(5):765-70. DOI: 10.1177/0363546505282623. View

16.

Krosshaug T, Nakamae A, Boden B, Engebretsen L, Smith G, Slauterbeck J . Mechanisms of anterior cruciate ligament injury in basketball: video analysis of 39 cases. Am J Sports Med. 2006; 35(3):359-67. DOI: 10.1177/0363546506293899. View

17.

Lorbach O, Wilmes P, Maas S, Zerbe T, Busch L, Kohn D . A non-invasive device to objectively measure tibial rotation: verification of the device. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2009; 17(7):756-62. DOI: 10.1007/s00167-009-0756-6. View

18.

Alentorn-Geli E, Myer G, Silvers H, Samitier G, Romero D, Lazaro-Haro C . Prevention of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer players. Part 1: Mechanisms of injury and underlying risk factors. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2009; 17(7):705-29. DOI: 10.1007/s00167-009-0813-1. View

19.

Shultz S, Shimokochi Y, Nguyen A, Schmitz R, Beynnon B, Perrin D . Measurement of varus-valgus and internal-external rotational knee laxities in vivo--Part II: relationship with anterior-posterior and general joint laxity in males and females. J Orthop Res. 2007; 25(8):989-96. DOI: 10.1002/jor.20398. View

20.

Noyes F, Cummings J, Grood E, Wroble R . The diagnosis of knee motion limits, subluxations, and ligament injury. Am J Sports Med. 1991; 19(2):163-71. DOI: 10.1177/036354659101900212. View