Influence of Q-angle on lower-extremity running kinematics

STUDY DESIGN: Two-group posttest-only comparison. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of the Q-angle on the 3-dimensional lower-extremity kinematics during running. BACKGROUND: An excessive Q-angle has been implicated in the development of knee injuries by altering the lower-extremity locomotion kinematics. Previous investigations using 2-dimensional analyses during walking did not support this hypothesis. METHODS AND MEASURES: We hypothesized that individuals with Q-angles more than 15 degrees would display an increase in rearfoot eversion and tibial internal rotation during running. Thirty-two nonimpaired subjects (men: n = 16, mean age = 22 +/- 3 years; women: n = 16, mean age = 23 +/- 3 years) ran over ground, and 3-dimensional kinematic data were collected from the right lower extremity. Subjects with a Q-angle of 15 degrees or less comprised the low-Q-angle group, whereas those with Q-angles of more than 15 degrees comprised the high-Q-angle group. Segment and joint maximum angles and the times when the maxima occurred during stance were measured. RESULTS: The Q-angle magnitude did not increase the maximum segment or joint angles during running. The groups displayed similar maximum angles for rearfoot eversion (low Q-angle, -15.5 +/- 5.0 degrees; high Q-angle, -15.6 +/- 6.6 degrees) and tibial internal rotation (low Q-angle, -8.8 +/- 4.8 degrees; high Q-angle, -6.8 +/- 5.1 degrees). The high-Q-angle group (39.5 +/- 16.3%) achieved maximum tibial internal rotation later in the stance phase than the low-Q-angle group (28.8 +/- 10.7%). CONCLUSIONS: In support of the previous investigations involving Q-angle influences on kinematics, our study did not reveal any differences between groups in maximum joint or segment angles. The kinematic information did reveal that the high-Q-angle group displayed an increase in time to maximum tibial internal rotation. The impact of this single factor on producing knee injury is unknown.