Kinematic assessment of the knee joint

In this presentation, we will present the research that has been published in the last ten years on the use of an innovative piece of technology—the knee kinesiography exam. This exam relies on a harness (the KneeKG) attached on the shank and the thigh, which reduces soft tissue artifacts compared to methods using markers glued on the skin. On the harness are fixed optoeletronic markers, whose movements are followed by a portable optoelectronic camera (NDI). The exam consists of a calibration phase, followed by two 45 second walking periods on a treadmill. The system then automatically identifies biomechanical markers on the flexion/extension, ab/adduction and internal/external rotation curves. These markers, known to be related to pain and disease progression, are then translated into patient-specific exercises to be performed at home. Several medium and large cohort studies used the knee kinesiography exam to characterize three-dimensional knee kinematics in a healthy population, in various degrees of knee osteoarthritis, in patients who underwent unicompartmental or total knee arthroplasty and in patients who experienced a ligament rupture. This presentation will summarize the main results issued from these studies, highlighting the clinical usefulness of the technology for managing knee problems.