Medial Meniscus Physiologic Extrusion Across Sitting, Bipedal, and Unipedal Stance: The Roles of Generalized Hypermobility and Patellar Tendon Stiffness.

Background/

Objectives

Medial meniscus extrusion (MME) is a quantitative marker of altered meniscal containment and load sharing. Although ultrasonography enables dynamic assessment under functional loading, it remains unclear whether generalized ligamentous hypermobility influences physiologic extrusion behavior in healthy knees. The aim of this study was to quantify load-dependent MME in healthy adults and to determine whether generalized hypermobility is associated with greater physiologic extrusion under progressive loading conditions.

Methods

In this prospective observational study, 106 healthy adults aged 18-40 years were evaluated between October and December 2025. Generalized joint hypermobility was defined as a Beighton score ≥5. MME was measured by standardized ultrasonography on the dominant limb in three conditions: sitting (unloaded), bipedal stance, and unipedal stance. Patellar tendon shear-wave elastography (SWE) was recorded in kilopascals (kPa). Interobserver reliability was assessed in the first 25 participants using ICC (2,1). Group comparisons, multivariable linear regression for loading-related Δ-extrusion (Unipedal-Sitting and Bipedal-Sitting), and a linear mixed-effects model for repeated MME measures, including a Position × Hypermobility interaction, were performed.

Results

Twenty-eight participants (26.4%) were classified as hypermobile. The hypermobile group showed significantly lower patellar tendon SWE than controls (23.8 ± 7.0 vs. 37.6 ± 9.7 kPa, p < 0.001). MME increased stepwise with loading in both groups and remained consistently higher in hypermobile participants across sitting, bipedal, and unipedal conditions (all p < 0.001). Loading-related extrusion was also greater in the hypermobile group for both Bipedal-Sitting (p = 0.037) and Unipedal-Sitting (p = 0.002). In multivariable regression, lower patellar tendon SWE independently predicted greater loading-related extrusion, whereas hypermobility status did not remain an independent predictor. In the mixed model, the Position × Hypermobility interaction was significant and was most pronounced during the unipedal stance.

Conclusions

In healthy adults, medial meniscus extrusion increases stepwise from unloaded sitting to bipedal and unipedal weight bearing. Participants with generalized hypermobility demonstrated higher physiologic MME values and a more pronounced load-dependent pattern, particularly during unipedal stance. However, in adjusted analyses, lower patellar tendon stiffness on SWE, rather than hypermobility status itself, independently predicted greater loading-related extrusion. These findings support a contextual interpretation of ultrasound-based MME measurements in relation to loading condition and hypermobility phenotype.