Quantitative analysis of angular movements of knee during treadmill barefoot walking

Background and Purpose: Cinematic analyses of human walking are widely carried out, but the assessment of sex-related differences is still incomplete. Knee range of motion was investigated in healthy sedentary subjects during standardized speed treadmill walking. Subjects and Methods: One hundred and three subjects aged 20-79 years were filmed by an optoelectronic system. Threedimensional knee joint angular data were obtained from trajectories of markers using Euler operators. Results: On average, within sex, flexion-extension and internal-external rotation were symmetric (Watson-Williams'' test, p > 0.05). During walking, women had a larger knee flexion-extension (mean 67.5°, SD 0.8°) than men (mean 64.8°, SD 0.8°, p < 0.05), but similar internal-external rotation (women, 22.6°, SD 0.6°; men, 21.2°, SD 0.5°). No significant correlations between movements and age or anthropometric characteristics were found. Conclusions: In healthy sedentary adults, treadmill walking is performed with knee range of motion that is largely independent from age, sex or anthropometry.