Anatomical Alignment of Lower Extremity in Subjects With Genu Valgum and Genu Varum Deformities

Purpose: Changes in lower extremity alignment in individuals with abnormality of this segments are unclear. The present study aimed to compare lower extremity alignment in subjects with genu valgum and genu varum deformities and healthy subjects  in order to understand the lower extremity alignment changes in this group.  Methods: This was a causal-comparative study. The sample comprised 120 males selected by convenience sampling method. In total, 40 subjects were assigned to genu valgum group, 40 to genu varum group, and 40 to healthy subject group. Lower extremity alignment was evaluated in anteversion of hip, Q angle, internal and external rotation of hip, knee hyperextension, tibial torsion, tibia vara, and foot arch index, at the laboratory of Tehran University, Tehran, Iran. To compare the mean score of variables between the groups, 1-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS.  Results: The internal rotation of hip, Q angle, anteversion of hip, knee hyperextension and plantar arch index were significantly higher in the subjects with genu valgum deformity, compared to the subjects with genu varum deformity. The tibia vara value was significantly higher in the subjects with genu varum deformity than those with genu valgum deformity. However, no significant differences was found between the tibial torsion and external rotation of hip in the study groups.  Conclusion: The lower extremity alignment changes in the subjects with genu valgum deformity included increased anteversion, Q angle, flatfoot, knee hyperextension, and internal rotation of the hip. Also, the changes in the subjects with genu varum deformity included decreased Q angle, internal rotation of hip, knee hyperextension, but increased tibia vara, and foot arch.