Effect of the position of feet on knee pressure distribution in a tall kneeling position
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v75.117246Keywords:
Kneeling, tall kneeling, contact area, center of pressure, knee stress, knee painAbstract
Introduction: The kneeling position has frequently been associated with a higher prevalence of knee pathologies. People who adopt this position within their work and/or religious activities are more exposed to knee pathologies. In the tall keeling posture, the position of the feet can play an important role in the magnitude of the force and pressure supporting the knee.
Methods: The objective of this investigation was to compare the magnitude of the ground reaction force (GRF), the distribution of the support area, pressure and center of pressure (COP) associated with them, in the tall kneeling posture with two different positions of the feet, in order to identify the position in which less pain could be produced and to diminish the potential damage to this joint. Twenty volunteers (age=22.0±1.5 years; weight=70.3±13.5 kg) was assessed. Pressure, contact area, COP and GRF, all within the contact surface between the knees and the floor, as well as the pain described by the volunteers were measured in two different ankle positions: plantar flexion (PF) and dorsiflexion (DF). Post hoc statistical tests were applied with a significant level of 95%.
Results: In DF condition was observed: a higher frequency of a single pressure peak (p <0.0001); a smaller contact area (p =0.005); a predominantly anterior location of maximum pressures (p =0.002) and a greater pain described by the volunteers (p =0.04).
Conclusion: In the sample evaluated, it can be concluded that ankle position during the tall-kneeling posture altered the magnitude and distribution of forces, the contact area, and the location of the center of pressure across the support surfaces.
References
Bhattacharya, A., Mueller, M., & Putz-Anderson, V. (1985). Traumatogenic factors affecting the knees of carpet installers. Appl Ergon, 16(4), 243-250. https://doi.org/10.1016/0003-6870(85)90087-0
Carlson, R. V., Boyd, K. M., & Webb, D. J. (2004). The revision of the Declaration of Helsinki: past, present and future. Br J Clin Pharmacol, 57(6), 695-713. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2125.2004.02103.x
Chokkhanchitchai, S., Tangarunsanti, T., Jaovisidha, S., Nantiruj, K., & Janwityanujit, S. (2009). The effect of religious practice on the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis [journal article]. Clinical Rheumatology, 29(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-009-1295-8
Corlett, E. N., & Bishop, R. P. (1976). A technique for assessing postural discomfort. Ergonomics, 19(2), 175-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140137608931530
Das, B., & Gangopadhyay, S. (2015). Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and physiological stress among adult, male potato cultivators of West Bengal, India. Asia Pac J Public Health, 27(2), Np1669-1682. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539511421808
Hirokawa, S., & Fukunaga, M. (2013). Knee Joint Forces When Rising from Kneeling Positions. Journal of Biomechanical Science and Engineering, 8(1), 27-39. https://doi.org/10.1299/jbse.8.27
Jensen, L. K., Mikkelsen, S., Loft, I. P., & Eenberg, W. (2000). Work-related knee disorders in floor layers and carpenters. J Occup Environ Med, 42(8), 835-842. https://doi.org/10.1097/00043764-200008000-00015
Jensen, L. K., Rytter, S., & Bonde, J. P. (2010). Exposure assessment of kneeling work activities among floor layers. Appl Ergon, 41(2), 319-325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2009.08.004
Miranda, H., Viikari-Juntura, E., Martikainen, R., & Riihimäki, H. (2002). A prospective study on knee pain and its risk factors. Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 10(8), 623-630. https://doi.org/10.1053/joca.2002.0796
Moya Jofré, C., Izquierdo Redín, M., & Guzmán-Venegas, R. (2025). Efecto de la coactivación muscular sobre la economía de carrera en corredores de fondo entrenados. Retos, 74, 86-95. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v74.117355
Ogunbode, A. M., Adebusoye, L. A., Olowookere, O. O., & Alonge, T. O. (2014). Physical functionality and self-rated health status of adult patients with knee osteoarthritis presenting in a primary care clinic. Ethiop J Health Sci, 24(4), 319-328. https://doi.org/10.4314/ejhs.v24i4.7
Pollard, J. P., Porter, W. L., & Redfern, M. S. (2011). Forces and moments on the knee during kneeling and squatting. J Appl Biomech, 27(3), 233-241. https://doi.org/10.1123/jab.27.3.233
Porter, W. L., Mayton, A. G., & Moore, S. M. (2010). Pressure distribution on the anatomic landmarks of the knee and the effect of kneepads. Appl Ergon, 42(1), 106-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2010.05.007
Seidler, A., Bolm-Audorff, U., Abolmaali, N., Elsner, G., & study-group, k. o. (2008). The role of cumulative physical work load in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis - a case-control study in Germany. J Occup Med Toxicol, 3, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/1745-6673-3-14
Selya, A. S., Rose, J. S., Dierker, L. C., Hedeker, D., & Mermelstein, R. J. (2012). A Practical Guide to Calculating Cohen's f(2), a Measure of Local Effect Size, from PROC MIXED. Front Psychol, 3, 111. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00111
Steinbach, L. S., & Stevens, K. J. (2013). Imaging of cysts and bursae about the knee. Radiol Clin North Am, 51(3), 433-454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcl.2012.10.005
Sullivan, G. M., & Feinn, R. (2012). Using Effect Size-or Why the P Value Is Not Enough. J Grad Med Educ, 4(3), 279-282. https://doi.org/10.4300/jgme-d-12-00156.1
Virayavanich, W., Alizai, H., Baum, T., Nardo, L., Nevitt, M. C., Lynch, J. A.,…Link, T. M. (2013). Association of frequent knee bending activity with focal knee lesions detected with 3T magnetic resonance imaging: data from the osteoarthritis initiative. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 65(9), 1441-1448. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.22017
Xiao, H., McCurdy, S. A., Stoecklin-Marois, M. T., Li, C. S., & Schenker, M. B. (2013). Agricultural work and chronic musculoskeletal pain among Latino farm workers: the MICASA study. Am J Ind Med, 56(2), 216-225. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.22118
Xu, H., Jampala, S., Bloswick, D., Zhao, J., & Merryweather, A. (2017). Evaluation of knee joint forces during kneeling work with different kneepads. Appl Ergon, 58, 308-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2016.07.003
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Rodrigo Guzmán-Venegas, Laura Carolina Hofmann, Guillermo Mendez-Rebolledo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
