A Correlation Between Generalized Joint Hypermobility and KT-1000 Values: A Prediction of Knee Pathology

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between students identified with generalized joint hypermobility and their values of knee joint mobility as measured by the KT-1000 knee ligament arthrometer.Sixty healthy female high school sophomores, active in basketball, participated in this study. They were evaluated using: 1) the Beighton hypermobility criteria and 2) the KT-1000 knee ligament arthrometer. The KT- 1000 variables identified were the anterior 20 lb. displacement, compliance index, and the total anterior-posterior displacement.With an alpha level set at .05, one-tailed, the T-test for independent samples identified no significant difference in the KT -1000 displacement values when the subjects were separated into normal mobility « four) and hypermobility (> four) groups. The related samples T-test identified a significant difference between the right and left KT-1000 displacement measures with significantly positive correlations between the two groups. The Pearson coefficient identified a positive correlation between the total hypermobility score and the KT-1000 values for the right knees. This statistical analysis shows a general trend toward higher KT-1 000 values in those individuals identified with generalized joint hypermobility.