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Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - British Volume, Vol 87-B, Issue 11, 1498-1501.
doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.87B11.16485  
Copyright © 2005 by British Editorial Society of Bone and Joint Surgery
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Men and women have similar Q angles

A CLINICAL AND TRIGONOMETRIC EVALUATION

R. P. Grelsamer, MD, Attending Surgeon at Maimonides Medical Centerm, Chief of Knee and Hip Surgery1; A. Dubey, MD, Orthopaedic Resident2; and C. H. Weinstein, MD, MPH, Sports Medicine Fellow

1 The Hospital for Joint Diseases, 301 East 17th Street, New York 10003, USA.
2 Maimonides Medical Center, 4802 Tenth Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219, USA.
3 Phoenix, Arizona.

Correspondence should be sent to Dr R. P. Grelsamer at 303 Second Avenue, Suite 19, New York, New York 10003, USA; e-mail: RGrelsamer{at}aol.com

The Q angle is an important determinant of patellar tracking, though its clinical relevance is debatable. One controversy centres around any possible differences in its value between men and women. The accepted, though unproven explanation, for the greater Q angle in women is that a woman has a wider pelvis. However, because of the long distance between the pelvis and patella, relative to the distance from the patella to the tibial tuberosity, large changes in the position of the anterior superior iliac spine are necessary to effect significant changes in the Q angle. In our study of 69 subjects, we did not find such large differences in the position of the anterior superior iliac spine, and found a mean difference of only 2.3° between the Q angles of men and women.

Furthermore, we found that men and women of equal height demonstrated similar Q angles, with taller people having slightly smaller Q angles. The slight difference in Q angles between men and women can be explained by the fact that men tend to be taller.




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Men and women have similar Q angles: A CLINICAL AND TRIGONOMETRIC EVALUATION
JAGDISH MENON
J Bone Joint Surg Br Online, 23 Jan 2006 [Full text]

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Hip, Knee, Trauma, Upper limb, Foot & Ankle, Paediatrics, Oncology, Spine, Arthroplasty, General