Contribution of sex and body constitution to three-dimensional lower extremity alignment for healthy, elderly, non-obese humans in a Japanese population

BACKGROUND: Humans support their bodies exclusively by vertical balance in bipedal locomotion, and the body, especially the lower extremity, generally changes with age. Sex and body constitution are assumed to be associated with lower extremity alignment, but this association remains to be elucidated. This study sought to clarify this association in healthy, elderly, non-obese humans in a Japanese population. METHODS: The present study investigated 55 healthy volunteers (mean age: 70 ± 6 years). A 3D extremity alignment system was applied under weight-bearing conditions on biplane long lower extremities X-rays using a 3D-to-2D image registration technique. The evaluation parameters included 3D hip-knee-ankle angle (3DHKA) alignment in the coronal (coronal alignment) and sagittal planes (sagittal alignment) and rotational alignment between the femur and tibia. The influences of sex and body constitution on all the alignment were analyzed. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analysis with the dependent variable of each alignment showed that sex was the dominant factor for coronal and rotational alignment (coronal: p < 0.01; rotational: p < 0.01), and body weight was the dominant factor for sagittal alignment (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The association of sex with coronal and rotational alignment and of body constitution with sagittal alignment were proved in healthy, elderly, non-obese humans in a Japanese population. This finding can lead to further understanding of the etiology of many diseases and age-related changes.