Lower Extremity Rotational Profile in Students of Elementary School

Song, Kwang Soon; Park, Jong Hyung; Nam, Kyoung Won

Abstract

We studied 600 normal lower extremities of Korean students of elementary school in order to establish normal values for the rotational profile and to define any differences between ethnic groups. Rotational profile examined at this study included medial and lateral rotation of the hip and thighfoot angle. The mean value of medial rotation of the hip was 48 degrees with a range of 35 to 64 degrees in male subjects, and 50 degrees with a range of 35 to 60 degrees in female subjects. The mean value of lateral rotation of the hip was 57 degrees with a range of 43 to 75 degrees, and 53 degrees with a range of 40 to 72 degrees in female subjects. Unlike medial rotation, lateral rotation of the hip was greater in male than in female subjects by a mean difference of 4 degrees(T-test, p<0.05). The mean value of thigh-foot angle was 10 degrees with a range of -2 to 23 degrees in male subjects, and 12 degrees with a range of 0 to 21 degrees in female subjects. The total range of hip rotation was slightly greater in Korean than in Caucasians or in Chinese, but, to conclude this, more large study by the same methods will be needed in other areas of Korea.