Objective Evaluation of Knee Laxity in Children

SUMMARYThis study was designed to measure objectively knee laxity in children. Physical examination and the KT 1000 arthrometer were used to test the knee laxity of 150 healthy, uninjured children between 6 and 18 years of age. Data from the knee examinations and the KT 1000 measurements were compared and statistically analyzed to determine the change in knee laxity with age, laxity differences between boys and girls, and the correlation between the KT1000 measurements and subjective tests for laxity described by Carter and Wilkinson. There was no statistical difference in knee laxity between boys and girls of similar ages. We found that knee laxity, determined by measuring the millimeters of tibial translation using the KT 1000 arthrometer, was significantly greater in younger children.