Relations between external moment and movement of the knee joint during the stance phase in patients with severe knee osteoarthritis

Background: The relations between external knee moment and the knee joint movement during stance phase of the patients with knee osteoarthritis is unknown well. This study try to clarify the relations between external knee moment and the knee joint movement during stance phase of the patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: Subjects comprised 15 patients who had 23 knees with severe osteoarthritis. The knee joint movements and external knee moments while walking were measured using a motion analysis system and a floor-mounted force plate. We then calculated the change in knee joint angles, first and second peak external knee adductions, and maximum flexion-extension moments during the stance phase. Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient was used to confirm the relation between the external moments and knee movements.

Results: The first peak external knee adduction moment was moderately positively correlated with the maximum knee varus angle at the early stance phase and was moderately negatively correlated with the amount of change in the knee valgus direction angle at mid-stance. The peak external knee extension moment at the early stance phase was strongly positively correlated with the knee flexion angle at foot-strike and the maximum knee flexion angle at the early stance phase and was negatively correlated with the external rotation angle at foot-strike.

Conclusion: An effective rehabilitation approach to decrease the load of knee joint must combine both to strength the muscles around the knee joint, particularly quadriceps, and to device for controlling the knee movement.