Bernhard Guggenberger, a PhD student under the supervision of Dr. Hans Kainz (University of Vienna) and Dr. Martin Svehlik (Medical University of Graz), has published the first full paper from his PhD research. This collaborative study, involving researchers from three Austrian institutions and one in the USA, reveals that individuals with patellofemoral instability adapt their gait by walking with less knee flexion and reduced quadriceps muscle forces. These adaptations result in lower joint contact forces and may reduce the risk of patella dislocation.

The findings underscore the critical role of patient-specific gait patterns in understanding and managing knee joint loads in patellofemoral instability.

Link to the open access paper published in scientific reports: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79021-x