Opposite Medial and Lateral Tibiofemoral Joint Compartment Responses Between Dominant and Nondominant Limbs When Walking With Load Carriage

It is unknown whether interlimb differences in gait mechanics affect the magnitude or distribution of tibiofemoral joint contact forces or whether load carriage increases potential effects of limb dominance. Thus, this study aimed to compare the effects of load carriage on total, medial, and lateral tibiofemoral joint contact force between the dominant and nondominant limbs. Twenty-four adults (12 women, 21 right-leg dominant) walked at 1.4 m·s-1 during 3 load carriage conditions (0%, 15%, and 30% body weight). Medial and lateral tibiofemoral joint contact forces were calculated during 5 stance phases for each limb in each condition. A 3 × 2 repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare the dominant and nondominant limbs across the 3 loading conditions. Peak tibiofemoral joint forces increased directly with load carriage (P < .001). The nondominant limb peak medial tibiofemoral joint contact force was greater than that of the dominant limb (P = .026), whereas dominant limb peak lateral tibiofemoral joint contact force was greater than that of the nondominant (P < .001) limb. Although the results were close to the minimal detectable difference, we concluded that the distribution of tibiofemoral joint contact force during load carriage may be influenced by limb dominance. These findings underscore the relevance of limb dominance as a consideration in research design and data interpretation.