An Investigation into Etiology, Nutritional Preventative Strategies and an Innovative Design of a Knee Brace for Knee Ligament Injuries among Women Aged 45 and Above Presenting with Knee Pain in Kenya

Knee pain among postmenopausal women in Kenya is misattributed to osteoarthritis, causing mismanagement. Study investigates biomechanical-hormonal etiology of MCL injuries in women, emphasizing estrogen deficiency and angular misalignment as causative factors. Descriptive cross- sectional study was conducted involving 32 female participants. Measurement (Q-angle, Neurofascial- Strain angle, and Femoral-Neck-Shaft angle) analysis alongside histories, hormonal profiles and nutrition. Radiological and biomechanical screening complemented clinical assessments. Statistics assessed via chi- square analysis. Association (χ2 = 13.01, df = 1, p < 0.05) between irregular Q-angles and increased MCL tension in subjects, confirming biomechanical predisposition. Analysis of NFS angles showed age- dependent angular widening matching increased ligament strain. In females, FNS angle is smaller compared to males hence female patients are at higher risk of medial deviation of the femur in relation to the tibia causing MCL stress and predisposition to microtears and injury to MCL causing chronic pain. Increase in NFS angle in old women and depletion of estrogen causing increased MCL tension. Outliers are mainly from high-intake of fruits supporting hypothesis that vitamin-C is useful in mitigating MCL tension. Study introduces NFS angle as diagnostic and screening tool for assessing medial knee strain and proposes custom-designed MCL-supporting knee-brace tailored to pelvic-femoral morphologies. Vitamin-C supplementation is advocated as safer alternative to hormone replacement, offering antioxidant protection and enhanced collagen synthesis without oncogenic risks. Irregular biomechanical alignment and hormonal decline in subjects synergistically predispose the MCL to microtears and chronic pain. Integration of angular metrics with targeted nutritional and orthopedic interventions presents shift from conventional osteoarthritis-centric management.