title: The Relationship Between Early-Stage Knee Osteoarthritis and Lower-Extremity Alignment, Joint Laxity, and Subjective Scores of Pain, Stiffness, and Function.
abstract: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease that affects an estimated 27 million Americans. Changes in lower-extremity alignment and joint laxity have been found to redistribute the medial and/or lateral loads at the joint. However, the effect that changes in anteroposterior knee-joint laxity have on lower-extremity alignment and function in individuals with knee OA remains unclear.
  
  
  
  To examine anteroposterior knee-joint laxity, lower-extremity alignment, and subjective pain, stiffness, and function scores in individuals with early-stage knee OA and matched controls and to determine if a relationship exists among these measures.
  
  
  
  Case control.
  
  
  
  Sports-medicine research laboratory.
  
  
  
  18 participants with knee OA and 18 healthy matched controls.
  
  
  
  Participants completed the Western Ontario McMaster (WOMAC) osteoarthritis questionnaire and were tested for total anteroposterior knee-joint laxity (A-P) and knee-joint alignment (ALIGN).
  
  
  
  WOMAC scores, A-P (mm), and ALIGN (°).
  
  
  
  A significant multivariate main effect for group (Wilks' Λ = 0.30, F7,26 = 8.58, P < .0001) was found. Knee-OA participants differed in WOMAC scores (P < .0001) but did not differ from healthy controls on ALIGN (P = .49) or total A-P (P = .66). No significant relationships were identified among main outcome measures.
  
  
  
  These data demonstrate that participants with early-stage knee OA had worse pain, stiffness, and functional outcome scores than the matched controls; however, ALIGN and A-P were no different. There was no association identified among participants' subjective scores, ALIGN, or A-P measures in this study.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Exercise and Sport Science and Center on Aging, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
authors.forename: Charlie A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hicks-Little
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Peindl
authors.forename: Tricia J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Hubbard-Turner
authors.forename: Mitchell L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cordova
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D060750:Bone Anteversion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D060751:Bone Retroversion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index