Key Laboratory of Exercise and Health Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Department of Physical Education, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, People's Republic of China.
Eur J Sport Sci. 2020 May;20(4):461-467. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2019.1635651. Epub 2019 Jul 16.
Bicycle saddle height configurations have been shown to affect knee joint biomechanics. Research suggests that an excessively low saddle height may lead to Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, which is thought to be caused by the knee adduction moment during cycling. However, how saddle heights affect frontal plane knee biomechanics was not clear. We aimed to compare different saddle heights on frontal plane knee biomechanics during cycling. Twenty healthy young recreational cyclists (23.4 ± 0.5 years) performed 3 min of cycling at four different saddle heights (Medium [25° knee flexion angle], Preferred [a height chosen by cyclists], Low [Preferred + 15°], High [Preferred - 15°] measured at the bottom-dead-center). Cycling workload and cadence were set at 60 w and 60 RPM, respectively, since our project was focused on rehabilitation. A motion analysis system and a custom instrumented pedal were used to collect three-dimensional kinematics d (200 Hz) and pedal reaction force (1000 Hz). Results showed that, compared with other saddle heights, Low saddle height produced greater adduction knee moments (11.9 ± 1.9 Nm, < 0.05), a longer duration (0.15 ± 0.01 s, < 0.05), larger knee flexion (58.5 ± 2.6°, < 0.05) and larger abduction angles (-4.5 ± 0.8°, < 0.05). We showed that Low saddle height resulted in increased knee adduction moments with longer duration. In contrast, High saddle height reduced both knee moments and time duration. The results suggest that increased saddle heights may provide a safe and efficient cycling strategy for healthy young recreational cyclists.
自行车鞍座高度的设置已被证明会影响膝关节生物力学。研究表明，鞍座高度过低可能会导致髌股关节疼痛综合征，这被认为是由骑车时的膝关节内收力矩引起的。然而，鞍座高度如何影响膝关节在额状面的生物力学尚不清楚。我们旨在比较不同鞍座高度对骑车时膝关节在额状面的生物力学的影响。20 名健康的年轻休闲自行车运动员（23.4±0.5 岁）在 4 种不同鞍座高度（中（25°膝关节屈曲角度）、首选（自行车运动员选择的高度）、低（首选+15°）、高（首选-15°）在下死点处测量）下进行 3 分钟的骑行。由于我们的项目侧重于康复，因此将骑行工作量和转速分别设置为 60w 和 60rpm。使用运动分析系统和定制的带仪器的脚踏板来收集三维运动学数据（200Hz）和脚踏板反作用力（1000Hz）。结果表明，与其他鞍座高度相比，低鞍座高度产生更大的膝关节内收力矩（11.9±1.9Nm，<0.05），持续时间更长（0.15±0.01s，<0.05），膝关节屈曲角度更大（58.5±2.6°，<0.05），外展角度更大（-4.5±0.8°，<0.05）。我们表明，低鞍座高度导致膝关节内收力矩增加，持续时间更长。相比之下，高鞍座高度降低了膝关节的力矩和时间持续时间。结果表明，增加鞍座高度可能为健康的年轻休闲自行车运动员提供一种安全有效的骑行策略。
