Hip, knee and ankle sagittal plane kinematics in subjects with and without patellar tendinopathy

• Grant number: 13/15404-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Fábio Viadanna Serrão
• Grantee: Luccas Cavalcanti Garcia
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The lower limb is formed by proximal and distal joints that interrelate during functional activities. In this scenario, the hip, knee and ankle should act harmoniously to ensure the proper functioning of the lower limb and allow locomotion in different environments. Patellar tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal dysfunction in athletes and is considered an important cause of disability. In addition to local factors, factors distal to the knee joint have also been observed to have an important relationship with patellar tendinopathy. However, few studies have conducted a comprehensive assessment in order to verify whether there are alterations in the movements of the hip, knee and ankle in the sagittal plane, in individuals with this disorder. Thus, this study aims to compare the kinematics of the lower limb between subjects with patellar tendinopathy and healthy individuals while performing the activity of maximal vertical jump. Twenty volunteers will be recruited, divided into 2 groups: patients with patellar tendinopathy (n = 10), 5 males and 5 females, and healthy controls (n = 10), equally divided. To evaluate kinematics of the volunteers during the realization of maximal vertical jumps, the Qualisys Motion Capture system (Qualisys Medical AB, SWE) integrated to the acquisition software Qualisys 2.3 Track Manager (QTM) will be used. The variables of interest are peak hip flexion, peak knee flexion and peak ankle dorsiflexion during task performance. For statistical analysis, a multivariate analysis of variance test (one-way MANOVA) will be conducted to determine the effect of group (tendinopathy and control) in the other variables. Univariate tests will be used in the following analysis, if the MANOVA identifies a significant effect. A significance level of 5% will be adopted for all analyzes. (AU)