Zhijun Li, Philip Winnock de Grave, Tamaya Van Criekinge, Thomas Luyckx, Kurt Claeys
{"title":"Effect of alignment strategy on lower limb kinematics during stair descent after robot-assisted total knee arthroplasty","authors":"Zhijun Li, Philip Winnock de Grave, Tamaya Van Criekinge, Thomas Luyckx, Kurt Claeys","doi":"10.1002/ksa.70070","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Purpose</h3>\n \n <p>Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) effectively treats end-stage osteoarthritis; however, many patients still struggle with gait and functional movements such as stair descent. This study investigates how two surgical alignment techniques, inverse kinematic alignment (iKA) and adjusted mechanical alignment (aMA), affect lower limb kinematics during stair descent compared to healthy controls.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Methods</h3>\n \n <p>Forty-five participants (15 per group: iKA, aMA, controls) performed low (165 mm) and high (280 mm) stair descent tasks. Sagittal hip, knee, and ankle movements were recorded with 3D motion capture and analysed using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM).</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Results</h3>\n \n <p>The aMA group exhibited significantly longer descent times for both low (<i>p</i> = 0.038) and high stairs (<i>p</i> = 0.003). Additionally, the aMA group demonstrated a reduction in trailing knee range of motion (ROM) during low stair descent (80.65°) compared to the control group (92.87°, <i>p</i> = 0.023). The mean joint angle of the trailing hip during low stair descent also differed significantly between the aMA group and healthy controls. Although no significant differences were observed in the trailing hip joint angle during low stair descent between the iKA and healthy control groups, substantial deviations were noted during high stair descent (<i>p</i> = 0.011). Furthermore, the ROM of the leading knee in the iKA group differed significantly from that of the healthy control group during both low and high stair descents.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Conclusions</h3>\n \n <p>The iKA group exhibited movement patterns that were slightly more similar to those of healthy controls during low stair descent but showed deviations during the more demanding high stair descent. These findings underscore the need for further research into the mechanisms underlying these adaptations to optimise rehabilitation and surgical strategies aimed at restoring more natural movement patterns in TKA patients.</p>\n </section>\n \n <section>\n \n <h3> Level of Evidence</h3>\n \n <p>Level III.</p>\n </section>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":17880,"journal":{"name":"Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy","volume":"34 4","pages":"1354-1366"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ksa.70070","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/9/22 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ORTHOPEDICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose
Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) effectively treats end-stage osteoarthritis; however, many patients still struggle with gait and functional movements such as stair descent. This study investigates how two surgical alignment techniques, inverse kinematic alignment (iKA) and adjusted mechanical alignment (aMA), affect lower limb kinematics during stair descent compared to healthy controls.
Methods
Forty-five participants (15 per group: iKA, aMA, controls) performed low (165 mm) and high (280 mm) stair descent tasks. Sagittal hip, knee, and ankle movements were recorded with 3D motion capture and analysed using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM).
Results
The aMA group exhibited significantly longer descent times for both low (p = 0.038) and high stairs (p = 0.003). Additionally, the aMA group demonstrated a reduction in trailing knee range of motion (ROM) during low stair descent (80.65°) compared to the control group (92.87°, p = 0.023). The mean joint angle of the trailing hip during low stair descent also differed significantly between the aMA group and healthy controls. Although no significant differences were observed in the trailing hip joint angle during low stair descent between the iKA and healthy control groups, substantial deviations were noted during high stair descent (p = 0.011). Furthermore, the ROM of the leading knee in the iKA group differed significantly from that of the healthy control group during both low and high stair descents.
Conclusions
The iKA group exhibited movement patterns that were slightly more similar to those of healthy controls during low stair descent but showed deviations during the more demanding high stair descent. These findings underscore the need for further research into the mechanisms underlying these adaptations to optimise rehabilitation and surgical strategies aimed at restoring more natural movement patterns in TKA patients.
期刊介绍:
Few other areas of orthopedic surgery and traumatology have undergone such a dramatic evolution in the last 10 years as knee surgery, arthroscopy and sports traumatology. Ranked among the top 33% of journals in both Orthopedics and Sports Sciences, the goal of this European journal is to publish papers about innovative knee surgery, sports trauma surgery and arthroscopy. Each issue features a series of peer-reviewed articles that deal with diagnosis and management and with basic research. Each issue also contains at least one review article about an important clinical problem. Case presentations or short notes about technical innovations are also accepted for publication.
The articles cover all aspects of knee surgery and all types of sports trauma; in addition, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention, and all types of arthroscopy (not only the knee but also the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, ankle, etc.) are addressed. Articles on new diagnostic techniques such as MRI and ultrasound and high-quality articles about the biomechanics of joints, muscles and tendons are included. Although this is largely a clinical journal, it is also open to basic research with clinical relevance.
Because the journal is supported by a distinguished European Editorial Board, assisted by an international Advisory Board, you can be assured that the journal maintains the highest standards.
Official Clinical Journal of the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA).