Healthy knees have a highly variable patellofemoral alignment: a systematic review

Review written by Tom Goom info

Key Points

  1. 15 studies included in this review reported significant variability in patellofemoral alignment BUT...
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Patellofemoral (PF) alignment is thought to be a factor in the development of patellofemoral pain via influencing joint load. However, there’s a lack of clear knowledge regarding its exact role and how variable this alignment may be in asymptomatic populations. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to evaluate this variability in healthy knees.

Patellofemoral alignment is thought to be a factor in the development of patellofemoral pain via influencing joint load.
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We’re not even sure what normal patellofemoral alignment is yet, so we shouldn’t be telling people that their alignment is in any way abnormal!

METHODS

PRISMA guidelines were followed and ‘alignment’ was defined using the following terms: sulcus angle, femoral trochlear depth, patella tilt angle, lateral patellofemoral angle, lateral femoral trochlear inclination and tibia tubercle-trochlear groove distance. Studies that used other measurements of alignment were

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