Men and women have similar Q angles: a clinical and trigonometric evaluation.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional clinical and anatomical measurement study
PubMed 16260666 · doi:10.1302/0301-620X.87B11.16485
What was done
Clinical and trigonometric evaluation of the Q angle and anterior superior iliac spine position across 69 subjects to assess whether sex-based differences in Q angle are driven by pelvic width or height.
What was found
Investigators found a mean difference of only 2.3 degrees between the Q angles of men and women. Men and women of equal height had similar Q angles, with taller individuals having slightly smaller Q angles. No large differences were found in the position of the anterior superior iliac spine.
Why it matters
It challenges the common anatomical assumption that women inherently have clinically wider Q angles due to pelvic anatomy, showing that height differences account for observed variations.
Limits
Small sample size (n = 69) with no confidence intervals, p-values, standard deviations, or demographic characteristics provided in the abstract. Potential measurement error and inter-rater reliability were not detailed.
Cited by
- context The female pelvis is wider and shallower than the male pelvis, which increases the Q angle and causes the female femur to angle more medially toward the knees.