title: Isokinetic assessment of the hip muscles in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the difference in isokinetic strength of hip muscles between patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and matched healthy controls, and to establish the correlation between this isokinetic strength and pain and function in patients with knee OA.
  
  
  METHODS
  25 patients with a diagnosis of unilateral knee OA, 25 patients with bilateral knee OA, and 50 matched controls were evaluated using the visual analog scale for pain, knee Lequesne index, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities questionnaire and an isokinetic test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The groups were matched for age, gender and body mass index. The results of the isokinetic test revealed lower peak torque of the hip in patients with OA of the knee than in the control group for all movements studied. Strong correlations were found between the peak torque, visual analog scale and function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with OA of the knee exhibit lower isokinetic strength in the hip muscles than healthy control subjects. Strengthening the muscles surrounding the hip joint may help to decrease pain in people with knee OA. Some correlations between pain/function and peak torque were found.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Alqualo
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Leda Magalhães de
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Sandra Hiroko
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Anamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Jamil
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Natour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006615:Hip; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology; D019415:Torque