Article

The majority of research on gait mechanics in knee osteoarthritis has
focused on people with medial compartment involvement. As a result, little is
known about the gait mechanics of people with the less common, lateral
compartment disease. The objective of this study was to compare
walking mechanics--specifically, differences in frontal-plane lower-extremity
kinematics and kinetics--in people with medial knee osteoarthritis, people with
lateral knee osteoarthritis, and people who were healthy. DESIGN: A
cross-sectional design was used. METHODS: Fifteen people with medial knee
osteoarthritis, 15 people with lateral knee osteoarthritis, and 15 people who
were healthy (control group) were recruited for the study. All participants
underwent a gait analysis at an intentional walking speed. The variables of
interest for the study were peak frontal-plane moments and angles and angular
excursions of the lower extremity during the stance phase of gait. Data were
statistically analyzed with a one-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Participants
with lateral knee osteoarthritis exhibited significantly less knee adduction
excursion, lower peak knee abduction moment, and lower peak rear-foot eversion
compared with the control group and the medial knee osteoarthritis group.
LIMITATIONS: Participants in the control group were approximately 10 years
younger than participants with knee osteoarthritis. Despite this difference,
neither body mass index nor gait speed, each of which is a factor with a stronger
influence on gait mechanics, differed among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Participants
with lateral knee osteoarthritis exhibited frontal-plane gait mechanics at the
knee and rear foot that were different from those of participants with medial
knee osteoarthritis. The results of this study may guide the development of
interventions specific to treating people with lateral knee osteoarthritis.

Langue : ANGLAIS