Effects of Thigh and Leg Rotation on Sagittal Knee Angle During Static Assessment

da Rosa, Bruna Nichele; Wagner Neto, Edgar Santiago; Noll, Matias; Loss, Jefferson Fagundes; Candotti, Cláudia Tarragô

doi:10.3390/jfmk10030235

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Effects of Thigh and Leg Rotation on Sagittal Knee Angle During Static Assessment

by

Bruna Nichele da Rosa

^1,*

,

Edgar Santiago Wagner Neto

¹,

Matias Noll

^2,3,*

,

Jefferson Fagundes Loss

¹

and

Cláudia Tarragô Candotti

¹

Escola de Educação Física, Fisioterapia e Dança, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre 90690-200, Brazil

²

Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia 74690-900, Brazil

³

Instituto Federal Goiano, Campus Ceres, Ceres 76300-000, Brazil

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10(3), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10030235

Submission received: 10 March 2025 / Revised: 27 May 2025 / Accepted: 16 June 2025 / Published: 20 June 2025

(This article belongs to the Section Functional Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System)

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Abstract

Background: The femur and tibia can suffer changes in rotation, mainly in the orthostatic position, causing errors in measurements when two-dimensional instruments are utilized. Objectives: To test the effects of thigh and leg rotation on sagittal knee angle measurement. Methods: A physical model simulating the right lower limb was constructed using two wooden rafters and a plastic protractor between the rafters. The thigh rotation and leg rotation were measured, ranging from 50° of internal rotation to 50° of external rotation. The sagittal knee angle was measured using the three-dimensional kinematics via three protocols (femoral condyle angle, head of fibula angle, and four points angle) with points marked on the model corresponding to the greater trochanter of the femur, lateral condyle of the femur, head of the fibula, and lateral malleolus. Results: During the internal rotation of the thigh and leg, the sagittal knee angle increased (varying from 3.1° to 6.3° for thing, and 0.9° to 3.6° for leg), whereas it decreased during the external rotation of the thigh and leg (varying from −5.2° to −7.8° for thing, and 0.1° to −5.5° for leg). Conclusions: Thigh rotation and leg rotation affect sagittal knee measurement and can lead to erroneous assessments if not considered.

Keywords: knee; rotation; posture

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MDPI and ACS Style

da Rosa, B.N.; Wagner Neto, E.S.; Noll, M.; Loss, J.F.; Candotti, C.T. Effects of Thigh and Leg Rotation on Sagittal Knee Angle During Static Assessment. J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10, 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10030235

AMA Style

da Rosa BN, Wagner Neto ES, Noll M, Loss JF, Candotti CT. Effects of Thigh and Leg Rotation on Sagittal Knee Angle During Static Assessment. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. 2025; 10(3):235. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10030235

Chicago/Turabian Style

da Rosa, Bruna Nichele, Edgar Santiago Wagner Neto, Matias Noll, Jefferson Fagundes Loss, and Cláudia Tarragô Candotti. 2025. "Effects of Thigh and Leg Rotation on Sagittal Knee Angle During Static Assessment" Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology 10, no. 3: 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10030235

APA Style

da Rosa, B. N., Wagner Neto, E. S., Noll, M., Loss, J. F., & Candotti, C. T. (2025). Effects of Thigh and Leg Rotation on Sagittal Knee Angle During Static Assessment. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 10(3), 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10030235

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Effects of Thigh and Leg Rotation on Sagittal Knee Angle During Static Assessment

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