Moving out of the lab:movement analyses in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee

Osteoarthritis of the knee is one of the main causes of physical limitations. In addition to osteoarthritis, obesity is also a growing public health problem. Research has shown that obese people are almost four times as likely to develop osteoarthritis of the knee. Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee develop compensation mechanisms during daily activities. This dissertation focuses on the analysis of biomechanical components in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. The focus was on the knee adduction moment (KAM) during walking, stair climbing and sit-to-stand. A high KAM is associated with the onset and progression of osteoarthritis of the knee. Furthermore, this study focused on physical activity in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee with and without obesity. In this way, this research wanted to gain more insight into small changes in movement behaviour in these patients. Accelerometery is a good way to understand quantity and quality of physical activity. Patients with both osteoarthritis of the knee and obesity have a significantly increased KAM compared to healthy subjects. However, presence of only osteoarthritis of the knee, does not result in an increased KAM. Furthermore, more insight was gained into the actual physical activity and limitations in daily life in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee

Signatures of knee osteoarthritis in women in the temporal and fractal dynamics of human gait

Background: Osteoarthritis of the knee is characterized by progressive cartilage deterioration causing pain and function loss. Symptoms develop late with limited disease-modifying opportunities. Osteoarthritis is a major cause of immobility, with a higher prevalence above 60 years. This age-related increase in prevalence is further amplified by the female gender. Imaging and biochemical analyses for detection of osteoarthritis of the knee are expensive and labor-intensive. Continuous movement tracking could aid in detecting onset and/or worsening of symptoms.Methods: We used portable technology to investigate kinematic differences in female patients with knee osteoarthritis, weight-matched healthy female volunteers and obese female patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Knee osteoarthritis was established radiographically and corroborated using magnetic resonance imaging.Findings: The total amount, type and level of activity did not differ significantly between groups. The temporal activity pattern during the day was however significantly different with a bimodal signature in healthy volunteers only. Sequence analyses revealed more time to recuperate after dynamic activity in both patient groups. Analysis of walking bouts revealed significant differences in stride interval dynamics, indicative of gait naturalness, only in healthy volunteers. Temporal activity, sequence and walking patterns were independent of body weight.Interpretation: We thus provide for the first-time evidence of temporal specific kinematic signatures in amount and quality of movement also in stride interval dynamics between people with and without osteoarthritis of the knee independent of body weight. These findings could allow early and non-intrusive diagnosis of osteoarthritis enabling concordant treatment.</p

Bankart repair with remplissage vs. Latarjet procedure on recurrence, postoperative pain scores, external rotation, and Rowe score in patients with a Hill-Sachs lesion. A systematic review

Background: Currently, recurrent anterior shoulder instability in patients with a Hill-Sachs lesion managed using the Bankart repair showed higher recurrent instability compared with the Latarjet technique. Addition of posterior capsulodesis with infraspinatus remplissage to the Bankart repair, known as Bankart with remplissage (BR), increases shoulder stability in patients with a Hill-Sachs lesion. BR can potentially match the low recurrence rates of the Latarjet procedure while being less invasive. This systematic review compares the Bankart repair with remplissage and Latarjet procedure on postoperative pain, external rotation range of motion, and recurrent instability in anterior shoulder instability patients with a Hill-Sachs lesion. Methods: A systematic search of the PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases was performed. Studies comparing BR and Latarjet on recurrent instability and/or visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score in anterior shoulder instability patients with a Hill-Sachs lesion were included. Expert opinion, conference presentations, editorials, abstracts, case reports, and nonclinical studies were excluded. Records were initially screened by title and abstract, during the second screening full text was consulted. Study quality was examined using the Methodological Index for Nonrandomized Studies criteria. Risk ratios were calculated for recurrent instability, and standardized mean difference (Cohen’s d) were calculated for VAS pain, external rotation, and Rowe score. Results: Eight of the 146 studies were included in the analysis. The study population consisted of a total of 845 patients, of whom 450 patients underwent the Latarjet procedure and 395 patients underwent BR. Three studies included revision surgery patients; more revision surgery patients were allocated to the Latarjet group. Risk ratios for recurrent instability varied from 0.45 to 2.41. Effect size varied for VAS pain from −2.28 to 0.04, for external rotation from −1.44 to 1.12, and for Rowe score from −0.67 to 1.37. Limitations of the included studies were differences in baseline demographics and functional outcomes. Conclusion: Recurrent instability seems equal between BR and Latarjet in patients with a Hill-Sachs lesion depth <10 mm. Latarjet showed superior external rotation than BR. Future research should examine patient demographics optimal for minimizing recurrent instability using BR

Biomechanical Alterations during Sit-to-Stand Transfer Are Caused by a Synergy between Knee Osteoarthritis and Obesity

Osteoarthritis is one of the major causes of immobility and its current prevalence in elderly (>60 years) is 18% in women and 9.6% in men. Patients with osteoarthritis display altered movement patterns to avoid pain and overcome movement limitations in activities of daily life, such as sit-to-stand transfers. Currently, there is a lack of evidence that distinguishes effects of knee osteoarthritis on sit-to-stand performance in patients with and without obesity. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate differences in knee and hip kinetics during sit-to-stand movement between healthy controls and lean and obese knee osteoarthritis patients. Fifty-five subjects were included in this study, distributed over three groups: healthy controls (n=22), lean knee osteoarthritis (n=14), and obese knee OA patients (n=19). All subjects were instructed to perform sit-to-stand transfers at self-selected, comfortable speed. A three-dimensional movement analysis was performed to investigate compensatory mechanisms and knee and hip kinetics during sit-to-stand movement. No difference in sit-to-stand speed was found between lean knee OA patients and healthy controls. Obese knee osteoarthritis patients, however, have reduced hip and knee range of motion, which is associated with reduced peak hip and knee moments. Reduced vertical ground reaction force in terms of body weight and increased medial ground reaction forces indicates use of compensatory mechanisms to unload the affected knee in the obese knee osteoarthritis patients. We believe that an interplay between obesity and knee osteoarthritis leads to altered biomechanics during sit-to-stand movement, rather than knee osteoarthritis alone. From this perspective, obesity might be an important target to restore healthy sit-to-stand biomechanics in obese knee OA patients