Article

During gait, the swing limb requires flexible control to adapt to
ever changing environmental circumstances. However, few studies have focused on
the mechanics of swing limb control in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
Investigating the variability of swing limb kinematics, which can be represented
by variables such as the peak shank angular velocity during the swing phase
obtained from an inertial sensor, provides insights into the adaptability of
swing limb control. The purpose of this study was to investigate how patients
with knee OA control the swing limb and whether the degree of impairment and
disability due to knee OA affects swing limb control. METHODS: Twelve subjects
diagnosed with knee OA and 11 healthy control subjects participated in this
study. Subjects walked on a treadmill for 10min. The mean, coefficient of
variation, and fractal scaling exponent alpha of the peak shank angular velocity
during the swing phase were calculated. FINDINGS: There were no significant
differences between the groups for any of the kinematic parameters. The Knee
Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) activities of daily living (ADL)
subsection correlated with the coefficient of variation (r=-0.677, p=0.016) and
the scaling exponent alpha (r=0.604, p=0.037) of the peak shank angular velocity.
INTERPRETATION: Control of the swing limb was associated with the degree of
impairment and disability. Larger and more random variability of peak shank
angular velocity may indicate decreased ADL ability in patients with knee OA.
CI - Copyright (c) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS