Keio University · Medicine
Professor Kengo Harato's research lab specializes in clinical and biomechanical aspects of knee joint disorders, with a focus on osteoarthritis, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, and patellar tendon reconstruction. The lab investigates lower limb biomechanics during dynamic tasks such as gait, jump-landing, and drop vertical jumps, particularly under dual-task conditions, to assess injury risk and performance degradation. Using advanced motion analysis and wearable sensors like inertial measurement units (IMUs), the lab aims to develop practical, low-cost methods for clinical assessment of knee joint loading and kinematics. The research also emphasizes surgical techniques and outcomes in knee reconstruction, including arthroscopic repair and graft selection for chronic tendon injuries.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Although the external knee adduction moment (KAM) during gait was shown to be a quantitative parameter of medial knee osteoarthritis (OA), it requires expensive equipment and a dedicated large space to measure. Therefore, it becomes a major reason to limit KAM measurement in a clinical environment. The purpose of this study was to estimate KAM using a single inertial measurement unit (IMU) during gait in patients with knee OA. A total of 22 medial knee OA patients (44 knee joints) performed conv
The dual task is an important factor affecting knee biomechanics during jump-landing tasks. Athletes often have trouble in performing two tasks concurrently and a dual task can deteriorate landing performance. However, it is still unknown whether a dual task will affect the entire lower extremity. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of cognitive task interference on biomechanics of hip and ankle joints as well as the knee joint during the drop vertical jump (DVJ). A total of 20
Although surgical treatment is the gold standard for chronic patellar tendon rupture, the technique of patellar tendon reconstruction is still difficult. Basically, good clinical results of surgical repair for acute patellar tendon rupture have been reported. However, the results of reconstructive surgery for chronic patellar tendon rupture are still inconsistent. Some surgical options have been previously reported. For example, surgeons need to choose between 1- and 2-stage reconstruction. Furt
Fortunately, in the present study using the unidirectional barbed suture, major wound healing problem did not occur. As to the surgical technique, intraoperative patella eversion and anterior translation of the tibia should be avoided for quality cosmesis in primary TKA.
Although a tibial eminence avulsion fracture is a rare knee injury, it can result in some complications such as nonunion, limited range of motion, and anterior instability of the knee if the displaced fracture is not well reduced. Arthroscopic procedures for this fracture have been commonly performed in recent years. In patients with small fragments, a pullout operation is usually performed, but arthroscopic suture reduction is technically difficult. In addition, anterior instability of the knee
From the present study, female basketball and volleyball players have worse LESS score, smaller peak knee flexion angle, greater knee abduction angle at IC and greater knee internal rotation angle at IC, compared to female soccer players. Thus, female basketball and volleyball players may have an increased risk of non-contact ACL injury during the jump-landing task, compared to soccer players. Biomechanics of DVJ depends on characteristics of the athlete's primary sport.
Even if subjective knee pain and KFA during OLS improved, longer rehabilitation was required to improve OLS time in older patients in the early postoperative period.
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