Vastus medialis obliquus muscle morphology in primary and recurrent lateral patellar instability
Two articles on PainSci cite Balcarek 2014: 1. The Complete Guide to Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome 2. Patellofemoral Pain & the Vastus Medialis Myth
PainSci notes on Balcarek 2014:
This is the first study to look at the anatomy of the medial portion of the quadriceps (the vastus medias obliquus or VMO) in people with unstable (dislocated) kneecaps. We might expect to see smaller and/or different VMO muscles in people with unstable patellae. Eighty examples were examined with MRI: thirty knees with recent dislocations, thirty with a history of dislocations, and twenty healthy ones. They looked at cross-sectional area, muscle fibre angle, and muscle length. There were no significance differences found between these groups. “This finding is notable in that atrophy of the VMO has often been suggested to play an important role in the pathophysiology of an unstable patellofemoral joint.”
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
The morphology of the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) muscle in the anatomical setting of an unstable patella has not been described. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the morphological parameters of the VMO muscle that delineate its importance in the maintenance of patellofemoral joint stability. Eighty-two consecutive subjects were prospectively enrolled in this study. The groups were composed of thirty patients with an acute primary patellar dislocation, thirty patients with recurrent patellar dislocation, and twenty-two controls. Groups were adjusted according to sex, age, body mass index, and physical activity. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the VMO cross-sectional area, muscle-fiber angulation, and the craniocaudal extent of the muscle in relation to the patella. No significant difference was found with respect to all measured VMO parameters between primary dislocation, recurrent dislocation, and control subjects with a trend noted for only the VMO cross-sectional area and the VMO muscle-fiber angulation. This finding is notable in that atrophy of the VMO has often been suggested to play an important role in the pathophysiology of an unstable patellofemoral joint.
related content
- “Vastus Medialis Obliquus Atrophy: Does It Exist in Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome?,” Pattyn et al, American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2011.
- “Structural parameters of the vastus medialis muscle and its relationship to patellofemoral joint deterioration,” Peeler et al, Clinical Anatomy, 2007.
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