The journal of knee surgery
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This study determined lower-limb alignment and knee geometry in professional tennis players and compared the data with those from nonathletic individuals. Twenty-four radiographs from 12 asymptomatic players (mean age: 23.4+/-3.8 years) were prospectively studied. The three angles most useful for describing limb alignment and knee geometry in the coronal plane were measured: hip-knee-ankle, condylar-hip, and plateau-ankle. ⋯ Varus limb alignment was predominant and the mechanical axis passed medially through the knee center; there was increased valgus inclination of the distal femur, varus angulation of the tibial plateau, near parallel alignment of the joint, and exaggerated external foot rotation. Hip-knee-ankle, condylar-hip, plateau-ankle, and frontal foot rotation angles were significantly different (P<.05, two-tailed t test) from previously reported angles of nonathletic individuals. Variations, probably due to repetitive dynamic demands imposed on lower limbs from an early age, seem to involve both femoral condyles and proximal tibial metaphyses, maintaining normal parallel joint alignment.
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This study evaluated the risk to the popliteal artery associated with the tibial inlay technique in posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction. Barium was injected into the femoral arteries of eight fresh-frozen cadaveric knees and anteroposterior (AP) radiographs were obtained. Dissection of the fascia overlying the gastrocnemius muscle, identification of the interval between the medial head of the gastrocnemius and the semimembranosus, and lateral retraction of the medial head of the gastrocnemius (the Burks and Schaffer approach) was performed. ⋯ The closest any screw came to the popliteal artery was 18.1 mm, and the average distance was 21.1 mm (21.1 +/- 4.6 mm, range: 18.1-31.7 mm). When this distance was calculated as a percentage of the tibial plateau width, the smallest value was 19.2% (24% +/- 4.9%, range: 19.2%-35.1%). A posterior approach for a tibial inlay PCL reconstruction procedure appears safe with respect to the popliteal artery.