Elsevier

Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Volume 29, Issue 11, November 2021, Pages 1487-1497
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Gait risk factors for disease progression differ between non-traumatic and post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2021.07.014Get rights and content
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Summary

Objective

To examine if relationships between knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression with knee moments and muscle activation during gait vary between patients with non-traumatic and post-traumatic knee OA.

Design

This longitudinal study included participants with non-traumatic (n = 17) and post-traumatic (n = 18) knee OA; the latter group had a previous anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Motion capture cameras, force plates, and surface electromyography measured knee moments and lower extremity muscle activation during gait. Cartilage volume change were determined over 2 years using magnetic resonance imaging in four regions: medial and lateral plateau and condyle. Linear regression analysis examined relationships between cartilage change with gait metrics (moments, muscle activation), group, and their interaction.

Results

Measures from knee adduction and rotation moments were related to lateral condyle cartilage loss in both groups, and knee adduction moment to lateral plateau cartilage loss in the non-traumatic group only [β = −1.336, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = -2.653 to −0.019]. Generally, lower levels of stance phase muscle activation were related to greater cartilage loss. The relationship between cartilage loss in some regions with muscle activation characteristics varied between non-traumatic and post-traumatic groups including for: lateral hamstring (lateral condyle β = 0.128, 95%CI = 0.003 to 0.253; medial plateau β = 0.199, 95%CI = 0.059 to 0.339), rectus femoris (medial condyle β = −0.267, 95%CI = −0.460 to −0.073), and medial hamstrings (medial plateau; β = −0.146, 95%CI = −0.244 to −0.048).

Conclusion

Findings indicate that gait risk factors for OA progression may vary between patients with non-traumatic and post-traumatic knee OA. These OA subtypes should be considered in studies that investigate gait metrics as risk factors for OA progression.

Keywords

Knee osteoarthritis
Anterior cruciate ligament
Trauma
Gait
Magnetic resonance imaging
Cartilage

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