title: Assistive walking device use and knee osteoarthritis: results from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study (Health ABC Study).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify factors that predicted incident use of assistive walking devices (AWDs) and to explore whether AWD use was associated with changes in osteoarthritis of the knee.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community.
  
  
  METHODS
  Older adults (N=2639) in the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study including a subset of 874 patients with prevalent knee pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Incident use of AWDs, mean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain scores, and the frequency of joint space narrowing on knee radiographs over a 3-year time period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AWD use was initiated by 9% of the entire Health ABC cohort and 12% of the knee pain subset. Factors that predicted use in both groups were age ≥73 (entire cohort: odds ratio [OR]=2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43-3.01; knee pain subset: OR=1.87; 95% CI, 1.16-3.03), black race (entire cohort: OR=2.95; 95% CI, 2.09-4.16; knee pain subset: OR=3.21; 95% CI, 2.01-5.11), and lower balance ratios (entire cohort: OR=3.18; 95% CI, 2.21-4.59; knee pain subset: OR=3.77; 95% CI, 2.34-6.07). Mean WOMAC pain scores decreased slightly over time in both AWD and non-AWD users. Twenty percent of non-AWD users and 28% of AWD users had radiographic progression in joint space narrowing of the tibiofemoral joint in at least 1 knee. Fourteen percent of non-AWD users and 12% of AWD users had radiographic progression in joint space narrowing in the patellofemoral joint in at least 1 knee.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AWDs are frequently used by older adults. Knee pain and balance problems are significant reasons why older adults initiate use of an AWD. In an exploratory analysis, there was no consistent relation between the use or nonuse of an AWD and WOMAC pain scores or knee joint space narrowing progression. Further studies of the relation of use of AWDs to changes in knee osteoarthritis are needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Memphis, TN, USA. lcarbone@uthsc.edu
authors.forename: Laura D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Satterfield
authors.forename: Caiqin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kent C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Kwoh
authors.forename: Tuhina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Neogi
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tolley
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nevitt
mesh_terms: D000082:Acetaminophen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002183:Canes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D044469:Racial Groups; D011859:Radiography; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014853:Walkers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D000082:Acetaminophen