During walking, how much body weight goes through the patellofemoral joint?

During walking, how much body weight goes through the patellofemoral joint?

• A. 0.3x body weight
• B. 1x body weight
• C. 0.1x body weight
• D. 2x body weight

Answer: (A)

During level walking, loads through the knee are distributed, and the patellofemoral joint carries only a fraction of body weight. The patellofemoral compressive force is driven by the quadriceps pulling on the patella, influenced by knee angle, but on average it amounts to about 0.3 times body weight. That’s why walking puts a relatively small load through the patellofemoral joint compared with other activities (stairs, squatting, running) where the PF load can be much higher. So the best estimate for walking is roughly 0.3x body weight.

During level walking, loads through the knee are distributed, and the patellofemoral joint carries only a fraction of body weight. The patellofemoral compressive force is driven by the quadriceps pulling on the patella, influenced by knee angle, but on average it amounts to about 0.3 times body weight. That’s why walking puts a relatively small load through the patellofemoral joint compared with other activities (stairs, squatting, running) where the PF load can be much higher. So the best estimate for walking is roughly 0.3x body weight.