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Varus, valgus knees found among substantial portion of asymptomatic adults
A substantial portion of asymptomatic adults possess either a varus or valgus mechanical alignment and joint line obliquity, according to study results.
Researchers recruited 100 adults to receive weight-bearing, simultaneous biplanar imaging of both lower extremities and used 3-D images corrected for limb rotation to measure multiple radiographic parameters.
Seventy percent of knees were neutral, 19.5% in varus and 10.5% in valgus. Male knees possessed a more varus mechanical alignment compared with female knees; however, mean mechanical lateral distal femoral angle was more oblique in female knees.
Mean mechanical lateral distal femoral angle in all knees was 86.9°, with a joint line obliquity of 3° or more in 52.5%, according to the researchers. Only 31% of the knees studied had both neutral mechanical axis and absence of joint line obliquity.
In light of these findings, “restoration of a neutral mechanical axis with the femoral and tibial joint lines perpendicular to the mechanical axes may not be ‘normal’ for the majority of the population,” the researchers concluded.
Disclosure: Nam receives stock options from OrthAlign. Nunley is a paid consultant for Smith & Nephew, Wright Medical, Medtronic, CardioMEMS and Integra Health Sciences; received research support from Biomet, Wright Medical, Stryker, Smith & Nephew, Medical Compression Systems, DePuy and Synthes; and is a board member for the Missouri State Orthopaedic Association and Southern Orthopaedic Association. Barrack received royalties from Stryker, McGraw Hill, Wolters-Klewers Health and LWW; he is a paid consultant for Stryker; received research support from Biomet, Wright Medical, Stryker, Smith & Nephew and Medical Compression Systems; and is a board member for the Hip Society and the Knee Society.