There is very limited and low- quality evidence to support for a causal link between knee joint loading during walking and structural progression of knee OA .
OBJECTIVE We performed a systematic review , meta- analysis and assessed the evidence supporting a causal link between knee joint loading during walking and structural knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) progression .
Effects of Knee Pain Relief in Osteoarthritis on Gait and Stair-Stepping
Osteoarthritic knee pain affects patient mobility . Relief of knee pain in osteoarthritis has been reported to increase loading of the knee during gait , but it is unknown whether such pain relief enhances knee loading during more dem and ing activities such as stair-stepping . The gait of 19 patients and stair-stepping of 14 patients with painful medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee was assessed before and after pain-relieving intraarticular injection of the knee and compared with those of 21 healthy control subjects . There were significant increases in gait velocity , cadence , maximum external knee adduction moment ( indicating increased loading in the medial compartment of the knee ) , and maximum external hip adduction and ankle abduction moments immediately after the injection . With the exception of velocity and ankle abduction moment , these variables were returned to levels that were not statistically different from those of the control subjects . However , no significant differences were found during stair-stepping in the external adduction-abduction moments about the knee , hip , or ankle after injection . Furthermore , the postinjection magnitudes of these variables during stair-stepping were significantly less than those of the controls . Therefore , although the relief of knee pain is sufficient to enhance gait function in osteoarthritis of the knee , it is insufficient to enhance stair-stepping function
There is very limited and low- quality evidence to support for a causal link between knee joint loading during walking and structural progression of knee OA .
OBJECTIVE We performed a systematic review , meta- analysis and assessed the evidence supporting a causal link between knee joint loading during walking and structural knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) progression .