Posterior tibial slope and meniscal slope correlate with in vivo tibial internal rotation during running and drop jump

Abstract

Purpose The relationship between tibial bony and meniscus anatomy and knee kinematics during in vivo, high-impact activities remains unclear. This study aimed to determine if the posterior tibial slope (PTS) and meniscal slope (MS) are associated with in vivo anterior-posterior translation and internal tibia rotation during running and double-leg drop jumps in healthy knees. Methods Nineteen collegiate athletes performed fast running at 5.0 m/s on an instrumented treadmill and double-leg drop jump from a 60 cm platform while biplane radiographs of the knee were acquired at 150 Hz. Tibiofemoral kinematics were determined using a validated model-based tracking process. Medial and lateral PTS and MS were measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). ResultsIn fast running, more internal tibia rotation was associated with greater PTS (ρ = 0.336, P = 0.039) and MS (ρ = 0.405, P = 0.012) in the medial knee compartment. In the double-leg drop jump, more internal tibia rotation was associated with greater PTS (ρ = 0.431, P = 0.007) and MS (ρ = 0.323, P = 0.005) in the medial knee compartment, as well as a greater PTS in the lateral knee compartment (ρ = 0.445, P = 0.005). Conclusion These indings suggest that the medial and lateral PTS and medial MS are associated with the amount of knee rotation during high-impact activities. These in vivo indings improve our understanding of ACL injury risk by linking bone and meniscus morphology to dynamic kinematics.

Bone morphology features associated with knee kinematics may not be predictive of ACL elongation during high‐demand activities

“…The LPTS was measured using a sagittal plane centered in the lateral tibia as previously described (Fig. 2A) [35]. The MTP depth was measured in the sagittal plane centered in the medial tibia as the distance between the most anterior to most posterior points of the medial tibial plateau and a line parallel to this and passing through the deepest part of the tibial concavity [30] (Fig.…”

“…Recent studies have shown increased interest in the association between bony morphology and knee kinematics [4,18,23,35]. Speciically, a steeper LPTS was associated with more tibial internal rotation during drop jumps [23,35].…”

“…Recent studies have shown increased interest in the association between bony morphology and knee kinematics [4,18,23,35]. Speciically, a steeper LPTS was associated with more tibial internal rotation during drop jumps [23,35]. Additionally, deeper MTP depth and tibial slope asymmetry were linked to greater lateral tibial anteroposterior translation in healthy individuals during level walking [18].…”

Anterior cruciate ligament zoobiquity: Can man's best friend tell us we are being too cautious with the implementation of osteotomy to correct posterior tibial slope

“…For dogs with CCL rupture, tibial plateau levelling osteotomies (TPLOs) are the standard of care over ligament reconstruction. Tibial osteotomies have been reported in humans to correct increased tibial slope, a known intrinsic risk factor for ACLR failure [18, 40]. Zoobiquity is the term used to describe the collaboration between the human and veterinary professions to advance scientific understanding in both fields [10].…”

First revision ACL reconstruction combined with tibial deflexion osteotomy improves clinical scores at 2 to 7 years follow‐up

“…Extrinsic factors, such as type of sport and physical preparation, could be optimized by adjusting rehabilitation and preparatory programs [2, 10, 21], though there is limited evidence regarding the efficacy of such methods at reducing failure rates. Intrinsic factors, including anatomic, genetic, and hormonal aspects, should also be considered, notably the posterior tibial slope (PTS) [23, 30, 31], as it increases anterior tibial translation [7, 13, 28] and exacerbates anteroposterior tensions within the ACL [12, 20]. The association between excessive PTS and ACLR failure has been demonstrated in both short‐ and long‐term studies [3, 25].…”