Degenerative meniscus tears and mobility impairment in women with knee osteoarthritis.
OBJECTIVE
Meniscus tears are often presumed to be associated with a traumatic event, but they can also occur as a result of the cartilage degeneration process in osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this paper is to describe the prevalence and clinical correlates of degenerative meniscus tears in women with knee OA.


METHODS
The subjects were women screened for a double-blind, sham-exercise controlled clinical trial for women over 40 years of age with OA in at least one knee, according to American College of Rheumatology (ACR) clinical criteria. The presence of meniscus tears was assessed via a 3T Intera (Philips Medical Systems) magnetic resonance image (MRI). Clinical examination included a history of arthritis onset and physical examination of the lower extremities. Physical assessments included body composition, muscle strength, walking endurance, gait velocity, and balance. In addition, pain and disability secondary to OA, physical self-efficacy, depressive symptoms, habitual physical activity level and quality of life were assessed via questionnaires.


RESULTS
Almost three-quarters (73%) of the 41 subjects had a medial, lateral, or bilateral meniscus tear by MRI. Walking endurance and balance performance were significantly impaired in subjects with a degenerative meniscus tear, compared to subjects without tears, despite similar OA duration, symptoms, and disability, body composition, and other clinical characteristics.


CONCLUSIONS
Meniscus tears, diagnosed by MRI, are very common in older women with knee OA, particularly in the medial compartment. These incidentally discovered tears are associated with clinically relevant impairments of balance and walking endurance relative to subjects without meniscus tears. The explanation for this association requires further study.
Lange
A K
AK
School of Exercise and Sport Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. alan5625@mail.usyd.edu.au
Fiatarone Singh
M A
MA
Smith
R M
RM
Foroughi
N
N
Baker
M K
MK
Shnier
R
R
Vanwanseele
B
B
D000368:Aged; D002356:Cartilage / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000473:pathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000070600:Tibial Meniscus Injuries