Do older adults with knee osteoarthritis place greater loads on the knee during gait? A preliminary study.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the gait of older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) to an age-, sex-, and weight-matched healthy cohort that would provide preliminary data to examine the hypothesis that adults with knee OA have abnormal knee joint moments and place greater loads on the knee joint during walking compared with healthy adults.


METHODS
Nonrandomized, descriptive study of healthy and osteoarthritic older adults.


METHODS
University clinical research laboratory.


METHODS
Ten older adults with tibiofemoral and/or patellofemoral radiographic evidence and pain and disability attributed to knee OA and 10 age-, sex-, and weight-matched healthy adults.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Three-dimensional gait analysis to calculate knee joint forces and hip, knee, and ankle joint moments; an analysis of covariance adjusted for differences in walking speed between the groups; electromyographic data to verify our interpretation of the knee joint moment data.


RESULTS
The joint forces and moments did not differ statistically between the OA and healthy groups. Nonsignificant differences in the OA group relative to the healthy group included between 7% and 8% greater knee joint compressive (OA group, 3.67+/-0.24 body weight [BW]; healthy group, 3.40+/-0.24 BW) and shear (OA group, 0.47+/-0.04 BW; healthy group, .44+/-.04 BW) forces, 33% higher knee extension moments (OA group, .32+/-.07 Nm/kg; healthy group, .24+/-.07 Nm/kg), and 24% lower knee internal abduction moments (OA group, .25+/-.06 Nm/kg; healthy group, .33+/-.06 Nm/kg).


CONCLUSIONS
Previous research suggests that mechanical overload may be associated with knee OA. Our results do not provide statistical evidence to support this hypothesis. Nevertheless, the trends in the data, along with previous results, suggest the need to investigate further the possible existence of a biomechanical pathway to knee OA.
Messier
Stephen P
SP
J.B. Snow Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Health and Exercise Science, Wake Forest University, Winton-Salem, NC 27109, USA.
DeVita
Paul
P
Cowan
Rachel E
RE
Seay
Joseph
J
Young
Heather C
HC
Marsh
Anthony P
AP
D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*