In Vivo Ankle Kinematics Revealed Through Biplane Radiography: Current Concepts, Recent Literature, and Future Directions

The objective of this rev iew is to appraise existing literature that used biplane radiography to measure in vivo kinematics of the ankle in healthy, CAI, and BG populations.Recent FindingsResults showed that the tibiotalar joint contributes more to dorsi/plantarflexion, the subtalar joint contributes more to inversion/eversion and internal/external rotation, and that both joints are capable of complex three-dimensional (3D) motion. Preliminary data suggests that demanding activities (as opposed to walking) are necessary to elicit kinematic differences between healthy and CAI populations. Results also indicate that the BG procedure restores static kinematics and range of motion. All but one of the studies identified in this review collected static, quasi-stance, or partial gait capture data.SummaryThe strength of our current knowledge is low given the small sample sizes, exploratory nature of previous work, and lack of rigorous experimental design in previous studies. Future directions include development of an improved protocol for establishing coordinate systems in the ankle bones, continued development of a database of normal kinematics during a variety of activities, and large-scale, longitudinal studies of CAI and BG patients.
Source: Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine - Category: Orthopaedics Source Type: research