Version of the knee in the presence and absence of anterior knee pain
was evaluated by computed tomography in this study, Version of the kne
e is defined as the static rotation of the tibia with respect to the f
emur in full knee extension, Fourteen patients in whom conservative ma
nagement for anterior knee pain failed were compared with 14 volunteer
s with no symptoms, Computed tomography images of the femoral condyles
and tibial plateau were obtained with the knee extended, The angle be
tween the bicondylar and posterior tibial axes was measured, This angl
e, representing external rotation of the tibia relative to the femur,
was increased significantly in patients with symptoms (7 degrees) comp
ared with volunteers with no symptoms (1 degrees), This increased knee
version identifies a unique morphologic characteristic of the knee wi
th anterior pain.