Anthropometry and the knee joint

Assessing how human anthropometry (i.e. measures of the size and proportions of the body) influences the knee has provided important information about risk factors for common arthropathies, such as osteoarthritis (OA). Nevertheless, until recently, there has been a paucity of data identifying associations between anthropometric measures and structural aberrations in the knee. This is likely to have resulted from difficulties in assessing knee structures. Previous studies have been largely reliant upon joint radiography to image the knee. Radiographs are limited and provide a two-dimensional assessment of a three-dimensional structure, without the ability to examine the non-radiographically opaque intra and extra-articular structures. New imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), have enabled novel and sensitive opportunities to measure knee structures in vivo. MRI has helped to confirm OA to affect the whole joint, enabling a detailed examination of the relationship between human anthropometry and the knee. This chapter seeks to discuss how different dimensions of assessment of knee structure can be related to human anthropometry, and improve our understanding of factors affecting the risk and progression of knee OA. This may facilitate novel preventive strategies for the disease.