THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MUSCLE LENGTH AND STRENGTH OF QUADRICEPS AND HAMSTRINGS MUSCLES IN PATIENTS WITH UNILATERAL KNEE PAIN
Keywords:
Clinical assessment, Anterior knee pain, Physical therapy, Muscle strength, Muscle lengthAbstract
Knee pain is a symptom commonly found in the clinic. Although several evidences support the effectiveness of Physical Therapy treatment, patients still have recurrent knee pain. This recurrence could be resulted from intervention focusing merely on muscle strength. Research evidences suggest restoration of balance between anterior and posterior muscle groups of the knee. However, those correlation findings came from lab-based studies, which would limit clinical application. Thus, the correlation between muscle length and muscle strength of these 2 muscle groups need to be clinically investigated. This study aims to determine the correlation among quadriceps and hamstrings muscle length (QFL and HTL, respectively), and their strength (QFS and HTS, respectively) in patients with unilateral knee pain. One-hundred and seventy-seven unilateral knee pain patient data from Physical Therapy Center, Mahidol University were reviewed. 60 patients were recruited. Chi-square test was used to determine the association. For ipsilateral side, result demonstrated significant associations between QFL and QFS (p=0.010), QFL and HTS (p=0.001), and between HTL and QFS (p=0.004), HTL and HTS (p=0.035). For contralateral side, finding showed significant associations between QFL and QFS (p<0.001), and QFL and HTS (p=0.002). There was no significant associations between HTL and QFS (p=0.110), and HTL and HTS (p=0.168). These results suggest that quadriceps and hamstrings muscle length could have an effect on their strength in patients with unilateral knee pain. The results from clinical assessment are consistent with lab-based assessment. In addition, the association between muscle length and muscle strength of quadriceps and hamstrings muscles should be taken into consideration for treating patients with unilateral knee pain.
(Journal of Sports Science and Technology 2020; 20(1): 62-70)
(Received: 22 February 2020, Revised: 25 February 2020, Accepted: 26 February 2020)
Key words: Clinical assessment/ Anterior knee pain/ Physical therapy/ Muscle strength/ Muscle length
*Corresponding author: Tippawan SITTI
Faculty of physical Therapy, Mahidol University, NaKhon Pathom, THAILAND 73170
E-mail: Tippawan.sit@mahidol.ac.th
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