Three-dimensional Kinematics of Knee Joint in a Complete Gait Cycle: A Comparative Study between Handball Players and Non-athletes

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the athletic knee show greater rotation and translation movement than non-athletic knee during the treadmill walking with their preferred speed in a complete gait cycle. Method: Thirty young and healthy male subjects participated in the study, fifteen handball players (mean age: 19.6 ± 1.4 years old, mean weight: 85 ± 11.9 Kg, mean height: 179.8 ± 4.7) and fifteen non-athletes (mean age: 22.8 ± 1.2 years old, mean weight: 74.5 ± 8.6 Kg, mean height: 175 ± 5.9). Three-dimensional positional coordinate of lower limb during treadmill walking were analyzed. Results: There were significant differences (t (22.014)=1.585, p=0.127 in the range of internal and external rotation with mean value for handball player (M=14.4513, SD=2.3839) was higher than non-athletes (M=13.3327, SD=1.337). The magnitude of the difference in the means (mean difference=1.11867, 95% CI: -0.34489 to 2.5822) was significant. There were also significant differences (t (17.956)=1.654, p=0.116 in the max abduction and adduction with mean value for handball player (M=5.7160, SD=2.49281) was higher than non-athletes (M=4.5773, SD=0.94667). The magnitude of the difference in the means (mean difference=1.138, 95% CI: -0.30805 to 2.58539) was significant. At significance level 0.05. Conclusion: Finding of this study suggest that to understand the actual characteristic of knee motion studies have to be done in different walking and running trial at variable speed.