Lower Limb Movement Pattern Differences Between Males and Females in Squatting and Kneeling
in Journal of Applied BiomechanicsClick name to view affiliation
Movement pattern differences may contribute to differential injury or disease prevalence between individuals. The purpose of this study was to identify lower limb movement patterns in high knee flexion, a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis, and to investigate kinematic differences between males and females, as females typically develop knee osteoarthritis more commonly and severely than males. Lower extremity kinematic data were recorded from 110 participants completing 4 variations of squatting and kneeling. Principal component analysis was used to identify principal movements associated with the largest variability in the sample. Across the tasks, similar principal movements emerged at maximal flexion and during transitions. At maximal flexion, females achieved greater knee flexion, facilitated by a wider base of support, which may alter posterior and lateral tibiofemoral stress. Principal movements also detected differences in movement temporality between males and females. When these temporal differences occur due to alterations in movement velocity and/or acceleration, they may elicit changes in muscle activation and knee joint stress. Movement variability identified in the current study provides a framework for potential modifiable factors in high knee flexion, such as foot position, and suggests that kinematic differences between the sexes may contribute to differences in knee osteoarthritis progression.
All authors are with the Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. Kingston is also with the Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska Omaha, NE, USA.
Supplementary Materials
- Supplementary Material 1 (PDF 470 KB)
- Supplementary Material 2 (zip 632 KB)
- Supplementary Material 3 (zip 589 KB)
- Supplementary Material 4 (zip 785 KB)
- Supplementary Material 5 (zip 1301 KB)
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