Knee Joint Loading during Single-Leg Forward Hopping.

Increased or abnormal loading on the intact limb is thought to contribute to the relatively high risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in this limb for individuals with unilateral lower limb loss. This theory has been assessed previously by studying walking, but knee joint loading during walking is often similar between individuals with limb loss and individuals without limb loss, prompting assessment of other movements that may place unusual loads on the knee. One such movement, hopping, is a form of locomotion that individuals with unilateral lower limb loss may situationally use instead of walking, but the mechanical effects of hopping on the intact limb are unknown. Purpose: Compare knee joint kinetics of healthy adults during single-leg forward hopping compared to walking, a more traditional form of locomotion. Methods: Twenty-four healthy adults walked and hopped at self-selected speeds of 1.5 and 2.3 m/s, respectively. Joint moments were calculated using inverse dynamics. A paired Student's t-test was utilized to compare peak, impulse, and loading rate (LR) of knee adduction moment (KAM), and peak knee flexion moment (KFM) between walking and running. Results: Peak KFM and KAM LR were greater during hopping compared to walking (Peak KFM: 20.73 vs.5.51 %BW*Ht, p

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