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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

Sec. Biomechanics

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1545521

This article is part of the Research Topic Assessment of Biomechanical Mechanism in the Context of Sports Injury Prevention or Rehabilitation View all 12 articles

The Impact of Pain from Medial Meniscus Injuries on Walking Movement Patterns

Provisionally accepted
Yiyan Chen Yiyan Chen 1Liyan Wang Liyan Wang 1Zhiying Fan Zhiying Fan 2*Haibin Zhou Haibin Zhou 2*Aming Lu Aming Lu 3*
  • 1 Suzhou Vocational University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 2 Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
  • 3 Soochow University, Suzhou, China

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

    Existing literature provides inconclusive evidence regarding the impact of pain on movement patterns, especially in medial meniscus injuries. This study investigated how pain induced by medial meniscus injuries affects walking movement patterns, focusing on the biomechanical mechanisms. The goal was to develop targeted rehabilitation. METHODS: Thirty control participants (15 male, 15 female), 23 individuals with medial meniscus injury but no pain (11 male, 12 female), and 51 individuals with medial meniscus injury and pain (24 male, 27 female) were recruited. Gait data was collected using eight inertial measurement units and a video camera. Pain characteristics were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK), Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and pain duration score. Statistical analyses were conducted using a one-way ANOVA to compare movement patterns among the three groups. Bivariate correlation analyses were performed within the pain group to examine the relationship between pain characteristics and movement patterns. The p was set at 0.05. RESULTS: (1) ANOVA among the groups revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in several parameters: a shorter swing phase, reduced hip and knee angles, increased variability index, increased calf-foot mean absolute relative phase (MARP) during the support phase, and decreased calf-foot MARP during the swing phase were associated with pain. (2) Within the pain group, pain in knee extension (PKE) was negatively correlated with hip and ankle angles, stride length, and thigh-calf MARP during the support phase (p < 0.05). The VAS exhibited a negative correlation with knee angle and stride length, and a positive correlation with shock attenuation (p < 0.05). The TSK showed a positive correlation with hip and knee angles, and calf-foot MARP during the swing phase, while it was negatively correlated with stride length (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Medial meniscus injury-induced pain has several adverse effects, including prolonged walking swing periods, reduced angulation, and increased variability while positively influencing coordination and shock attenuation. Pain intensity, kinesiophobia, and pain freedom contribute to these changes. Therapists should focus on pain management and movement pattern retraining to develop personalized rehabilitation. The angle of the swing phase should be emphasized during retraining.

    Keywords: Medial meniscus injury, Pain, Movement patterns, Biomechanics, inertial measurement units

    Received: 15 Dec 2024; Accepted: 03 Apr 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Wang, Fan, Zhou and Lu. 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:
    Zhiying Fan, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
    Haibin Zhou, Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
    Aming Lu, Soochow University, Suzhou, 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.

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