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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomechanics
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1458737

The Impact of Anterior Knee Displacement on Knee Joint Load During the Forward Bow Step in Tai Chi

Provisionally accepted
Lijun Hua Lijun Hua 1*Gengchao Bi Gengchao Bi 1*Yanlong Zhang Yanlong Zhang 2*Kai Wang Kai Wang 1*Jiao Liu Jiao Liu 1*
  • 1 Harbin Sport University, Harbin, China
  • 2 Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: While the forward bow step is a crucial component of Tai Chi (TC) practice, little research has been conducted on its impact on knee joint load and muscle coordination. This study aims to investigate the effects of three different knee forward positions during the TC forward bow step on knee joint loading. Method: Twenty TC practitioners were recruited, and motion capture systems, force platforms, and surface electromyography were utilized to synchronously collect biomechanical parameters of three types of forward bow steps: knee joint not exceeding the tip of the foot (NETT), knee joint forward movement level with the tip of the foot (LTT), and knee joint forward movement exceeding the tip of the foot (ETT). Ligament and muscle forces were calculated using OpenSim software for musculoskeletal modeling and simulation. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the variations of the indicators during the peak anterior displacement of the knee joint in three movements. Additionally, spm1d one-way ANOVA was employed to examine the variations in the one-dimensional curve of the indicators throughout the entire movement process. Results: Compared with LTT and ETT, the NETT posture was associated with significantly decreased knee flexion angle (F=27.445, p=0.001), knee anterior-posterior translation (F=36.07, p<0.001), flexion-extension torque (F=22.232, p=0.001), ligament force (F=9.055, p=0.011). Additionally, there was also a significant reduction in muscle strength, including quadriceps (F=62.9, p<0.001), long biceps femoris (F=18.631, p=0.002), lateral gastrocnemius (F=24.933, p=0.001) and soleus (F=7.637, p=0.017). Conclusion: This study further confirms that in the forward lunge movement of Tai Chi, the knee joint load is mainly concentrated during the forward movement phase. Compared to the knee joint load at the NETT position, the load is greater at the LTT position; and compared to the LTT position, the load is even greater at the ETT position.

    Keywords: Tai Chi, anterior knee displacement, forward bow step, Knee joint load, muscle force

    Received: 03 Jul 2024; Accepted: 04 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hua, Bi, Zhang, Wang and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Lijun Hua, Harbin Sport University, Harbin, China
    Gengchao Bi, Harbin Sport University, Harbin, China
    Yanlong Zhang, Mudanjiang Normal University, Mudanjiang, China
    Kai Wang, Harbin Sport University, Harbin, China
    Jiao Liu, Harbin Sport University, Harbin, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.