Morphometry of Normal Medial Knee Joint Space in Adults by Digital Radiography and Its Relationship with Some Biosocial Factors

Abstract

Background: Proper function of knee joint depends on the anatomical and physiological properties of knee joint components such as bony configuration of surrounding musculature, ligaments, joint capsule, synovial fluid and articular cartilage. Structural deviations of these structures specially thinning of the articular cartilage can contribute to pathological condition. Methods: This cross-sectional type of descriptive study was conducted over a period of 1 year from July 2023 to June 2024 in the Department of Anatomy, Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Rajshahi on 190 adult individuals who were attending in the outpatient department of Radiology and Imaging, Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Rajshahi. Data were analyzed by SPSS software, version-26.0. Results: The mean right medial JSW was 4.30±0.09 mm and left medial JSW was 4.23±0.08 mm. There was statistically significant relationship of right medial knee joint space width with gender (p < 0.05), residential status (p < 0.001), occupational status (p < 0.01) and BMI ( p < 0.01). There was also statistically significant relationship of left medial knee joint space width with age (p < 0.01), residential status (p < 0.001) and BMI ( p < 0.05). Conclusion: Plain radiology is the primary method for assessing joint space width. The radiographic measurement of knee joint space might provide an ideal method for monitoring of the changes of  joint space width that would be helpful for proper planning of treatment procedure.