Investigation of Knee Hyperextension and Femoral Cartilage Thickness in Chronic Stroke Patients

It is aimed to measure knee hyperextension and knee joint cartilage thickness in chronic stroke patients and to examine the relationship between the factors affecting knee hyperextension and knee joint cartilage thickness.

This study, it is aimed to compare the knee joint cartilage thicknesses of the affected and unaffected extremities and to examine the relationship between knee hyperextension and knee joint cartilage thickness.

The second aim is to compare the knee joint cartilage thickness of the paretic and nonparetic extremities and in stroke patients with and without knee hyperextension.

The hypotheses of the study are:

Hypothesis 1;

H0: There is no difference between the knee joint cartilage thickness of the affected and unaffected extremities in chronic stroke patients with knee hyperextension.

H1: In chronic stroke patients with knee hyperextension, there is a difference between the knee joint cartilage thicknesses of the affected and unaffected extremities.

Hypothesis 2;

H0: There is no relationship between knee hyperextension during the stance phase of gait and knee joint cartilage thickness in chronic stroke patients.

H1: There is a relationship between knee hyperextension during the stance phase of gait and knee joint cartilage thickness in chronic stroke patients.

Hypothesis 3;

H0: There is no relationship between lower extremity muscle strength and spasticity and knee joint cartilage thickness in chronic stroke patients with knee hyperextension.

H1: There is a relationship between lower extremity muscle strength and spasticity and knee joint cartilage thickness in chronic stroke patients with knee hyperextension.

Hypothesis 4;

H0: There is no difference between the cartilage thickness of the knee joint in chronic stroke patients with and without knee hyperextension.

H1: There is a difference between the cartilage thickness of the knee joint in chronic stroke patients with and without knee hyperextension.

Immobilization of extremities after stroke causes articular cartilage degeneration. Likewise, since patients tend to transfer weight to the non-paretic extremity, a load difference occurs between the lower extremity joints. Therefore, it is thought that the femoral cartilage thickness will be affected in stroke patients. Considering this information, it is thought that the femoral cartilage thickness will be different between the paretic and non-paretic extremities, and also between stroke patients with and without knee hyperextension in the stance phase. Accordingly, the first aim of this study is to measure knee hyperextension and femoral cartilage thickness (paretic and nonparetic side) of stroke patients. The second aim is to compare the femoral cartilage thickness of the paretic and nonparetic extremities and in stroke patients with and without knee hyperextension.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Being between the ages of 40-65
* At least 6 months have passed since the stroke

Ambulation with or without a walking aid (walker, cane, or tripod)

* Being between 0-3 points according to the Modified Rankin Score
* Getting a score of 24 or higher on the Mini Mental Test
* Volunteering to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Having a history of more than one stroke
* Known presence of dementia
* Having a known orthopedic, psychiatric or other neurological disease
* Having a situation that prevents communication
* Having a history of surgery involving lower extremities and gait