Fluoroscopic Analysis of Knee Joint Kinematics

Female athletes sustain anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries at rates from three to seven times higher than male athletes in the same sports.  Several studies have recently suggested that differences between the genders in the mechanics of landing from jumps may result in increased ACL loads in female athletes.  To date, no studies have quantified the internal kinematics of the knee joint during landings in athletes of either gender.  Because the ACL connects the femur and tibia at the knee joint, relative motion between these two bones during landing may predispose the ligament to injury.  Accurate bony motion data cannot be collected using standard non-invasive motion capture techniques.  However, new minimally invasive techniques using medical imaging technologies have been developed to quantify joint motion in live human subjects.  Such techniques utilize video fluoroscopy to track the motions of bones at a joint very accurately.  The overall goal of the proposed project is to develop a method for collecting accurate, three-dimensional kinematic data of bones and joints in vivo using a video fluoroscopy technique.  This technique, once developed, will allow researchers at Boise State University to study the differences in knee joint motions during landing between genders, to quantify joint motions in people with movement or skeletal abnormalities, and to study both normal and pathologic motion in a wide range of skeletal joints.  Our goal is to extend the fluoroscopy technique for analysis of very dynamic activities, such as running, jumping, and cutting, which are of particular interest in the study of ACL injury mechanisms in athletes.  This project builds on the previous work of the investigators, who have been actively studying ACL injuries in pediatric and adult populations, joint biomechanics, and orthopedic sports medicine.

Contacts: Elisa Barney Smith, PhD ebarneysmith@boisestate.edu

or

Michelle Sabick, PhD msabick@boisestate.edu

Last Updated 01/28/2008