Effect of Q-angle on patellar positioning and thickness of knee articular cartilages.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether an increased quadriceps angle (Q-angle) has an effect on patellar positioning and/or the thickness of the medial and lateral tibiofemoral and patellofemoral articular cartilage and menisci, in a group of young asymptomatic individuals. These individuals were detected in a previous study with a decreased anatomical cross-sectional area of the vastus medialis and lateralis as a result of an increased Q-angle. Patellar positioning and the thickness of the articular cartilages were determined in 19 asymptomatic male individuals with high Q-angle (HQ-angle) (18.5° ± 2.6°) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Seventeen male counterparts with low Q-angle (10.1° ± 1.9°) were used for comparison. The position of the patella was determined by measuring the sulcus angle, the lateral patella tilt, the patella-lateral condyle index and the bisect offset (BSO) with the quadriceps relaxed. The BSO, was also measured with the quadriceps under maximum isometric voluntary contraction. The thickness of the articular cartilages of the lateral and medial femoral condyles, the tibial condyles, the patellar facets and the menisci were also measured. Our data revealed that healthy individuals with HQ-angle are unlikely to demonstrate any changes in the position of the patella and/or the thickness of the knee articular cartilages. The decreased anatomical area of the vastus medialis and an almost equally atrophied vastus lateralis, which was previously observed in this group of individuals may prevent in part the misalignment of the patella and early wear of the tibiofemoral and patellofemoral articular cartilages.

Quadriceps cross-sectional area changes in young healthy men with different magnitude of Q angle.

Knee pain and dysfunction have been often associated with an ineffective pull of the patella by the vastus medialis (VM) relative to the vastus lateralis (VL), particularly in individuals with knee joint malalignment. Such changes in muscular behavior may be attributed to muscle inhibition and/or atrophy that precedes the onset of symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate possible effects of knee joint malalignment, indicated by a high quadriceps (Q) angle (HQ angle >15 degrees ), on the anatomic cross-sectional area (aCSA) of the entire quadriceps and its individual parts, in a group of 17 young asymptomatic men compared with a group of 19 asymptomatic individuals with low Q angle (LQ angle <15 degrees ). The aCSA of the entire quadriceps (TQ), VM, VL, vastus intermedius (VI), rectus femoris (RF), and patellar tendon (PT) were measured during static and dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with the quadriceps relaxed and under contraction, respectively. A statistically significant lower aCSA was obtained in the HQ angle group, compared with the LQ angle group, for the TQ, VL, and VI in both static (TQ = 9.9%, VL = 12.9%, and VI = 9.1%; P < 0.05) and dynamic imaging (TQ = 10.7%, P < 0.001; VL = 13.4%, P < 0.01; and VI = 9.8%, P < 0.05) and the aCSA of the VM in dynamic MRI (11.9%; P < 0.01). The muscle atrophy obtained in the HQ angle group may be the result of a protective mechanism that inhibits and progressively adapts muscle behavior to reduce abnormal loading and wear of joint structures.