Breaststroke swimmer's knee
- 1 July 1980
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in The American Journal of Sports Medicine
- Vol. 8 (4), 228-231
- https://doi.org/10.1177/036354658000800402
Abstract
The cause of the breaststroke swimmer's knee with medial pain of the knee joint has not been clearly identified. Breaststroke swimmers with knee pain were, therefore, examined arthros copically. None showed any other disorders of their knees than medial synovitis in seven of nine swimmers. Since structural abnormalities could be ruled out, biomechanical analyses utiliz ing cinematographic techniques were used to study patients swimming in a special flume with the speed set at 90% of their best competitive performance. The results indicate that the extension and flexion and also in some cases the hip abduction and adduction movements of the whip kick were performed with high peak angular velocities. No significant differences in swimming technique among the six patients studied and three controls could be observed. It is concluded that a combination of high angular velocities at the hip and knee and external rotation of the tibia relative to the femur repeated in excessive amounts might be the primary cause for the medial synovitis documented in these patients. The breaststroker's knee thus seems to be an overuse syndrome.Keywords
This publication has 3 references indexed in Scilit:
- Orthopaedic manifestations of swimmingThe American Journal of Sports Medicine, 1978
- Come and PlayThe Physician and Sportsmedicine, 1974
- A swimming flume.Journal of Applied Physiology, 1972