The relationship between knee flexion excursion and mechanical stress during gait in medial knee osteoarthritis

Review written by Dr Carlo Wood info

Key Points

  1. Patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) demonstrate weaker quadriceps strength, decreased tolerance for function and increased pain.
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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Knee flexion moment (KFM) decreases with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). A decrease in knee flexion excursion (KFE) is an indicator of knee pathology, associated with thinning of knee cartilage, requiring eccentric quadriceps contraction, and is difficult for patients with KOA.

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between KFE during loading response and stress on the knee, strength, pain, and function in patients with KOA. The hypothesis was that KFE is positively correlated with strength, pain, and function, and will demonstrate a correlation with knee adduction moment (KAM), an indicator of stress on the knee.

Knee flexion moment decreases with knee osteoarthritis.
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Teaching an increase in knee flexion excursion may be beneficial for knee osteoarthritis, as this may not be related to increased stress on the knee joint in the frontal plane.

METHODS

  • 20 patients with medial KOA were enrolled. All participants walked independently without the use of assistive devices, and exclusion criteria included neurological disease, trauma, and previous knee surgery.
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