Knee extensor torque of men with early degrees of osteoarthritis is associated with pain, stiffness and function

Abstract

Knee extensor torque of men with early degrees of osteoarthritis is associated with pain, stiffness and function Homens com graus iniciais de osteoartrite apresentam correlação entre torque extensor do joelho e dor, rigidez e função Paula R. M. S. Serrão, Karina Gramani-Say, Giovanna C. Lessi, Stela M. Mattiello AbstractBackground: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic-degenerative disease. The knee is the most commonly affected joint and the symptoms are generally attributed to quadriceps muscle weakness. However, few studies have evaluated this relationship in a population with early stages of knee OA. Objective: To investigate whether a correlation among the knee extensor torque and the three subscales of the WOMAC questionnaire in men with early stages of knee OA exists. Method: Twenty-one men with knee OA grades I or II (according to Kellgren and Lawrence* criteria) participated in this study. The concentric and eccentric knee extensor torque were assessed using a Biodex System 3 Pro ® isokinetic dynamometer, at a speed of 90°/s. Self-reported symptoms and disability were assessed using the WOMAC questionnaire. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to test the relationship between the dependent variables (three subscales of WOMAC questionnaire) and the independent variables (average knee extensor peak torque). Results: We found a strong negative correlation between the concentric extensor torque and pain (r=-0.7, p<0.001) and a moderate and negative correlation among the concentric extensor torque and stiffness (r=-0.62, p=0.002) and physical function (r=-0.54, p=0.011). Eccentric extensor torque presented a moderate and negative correlation with the three subscales of the WOMAC (r=-0.40 to 0.69, p<0.05). Conclusions: The concentric and eccentric knee extensor torque is significantly correlated with self-report symptoms of patients in initial stages of knee OA. Therefore, the strengthening of the quadriceps muscles, through concentric and eccentric exercise is indicated for these patients in order to minimize these symptoms.Trial registration: number RBR-8q4zfh.Keywords: physical therapy; knee osteoarthritis; WOMAC; muscle strength. ResumoContextualização: A osteoartrite (OA) é uma doença crônico-degenerativa. O joelho é a articulação mais afetada, e os sintomas geralmente são atribuídos à fraqueza do músculo quadríceps. Entretanto, poucos estudos têm avaliado essa relação em indivíduos com graus iniciais de OA. Objetivo: Verificar se existe correlação entre o torque extensor do joelho e as seções dor, rigidez e função física do questionário WOMAC de homens com OA de joelho nos graus iniciais. Método: Participaram deste estudo 21 homens com OA de joelho graus I ou II (segundo critérios de Kelgren e Lawrence*). Foi avaliado o torque extensor concêntrico e o excêntrico do joelho por meio do dinamômetro isocinético (Biodex System 3 Pro ® ), na velocidade de 90º/s. O autorrelato de sintomas e incapacidades foi avaliado por meio do questionário WOMAC. O Coeficiente de Correlação de Spearman foi utilizado para d...

Undenatured type II collagen (UC-II®) for joint support: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in healthy volunteers

“…From a structure-function perspective this outcome is not surprising. During the earliest characterized phases of OA there is an apparent preferential loss of knee extension over knee flexion, and this loss has been shown to correlate with WOMAC pain scores [45,46]. In addition, MRI imaging of the early osteoarthritic knee has shown that initial changes in knee structure appear to center on articular cartilage erosions (fibrillations) about the patella and other weight bearing regions of the knee [47].…”

Efficacy of kinesio taping on isokinetic quadriceps torque in knee osteoarthritis: a double blinded randomized controlled study

“…Furthermore, increased knee adduction moment is an important predictor for the disease progression in osteoarthritis involving the medial knee joint compartment (Miyazaki et al, 2002). The quadriceps muscle group is the primary dynamic stabilizer for the knee joint in the saggital plane (Segal et al, 2010) and generates an abduction moment to resist the knee adduction moment (Shelburne, Torry, and Pandy, 2006), thereby reducing joint loading, absorbing shock and providing stability to the knee during gait (Serrão, Gramani-Say, Lessi, and Mattiello, 2012).…”

“…In addition, a deficit in the quadriceps strength increases the risk of re-injury to the knee joint and reduces the dynamic knee stability (Rice and McNair, 2010). Also, isokinetic quadriceps torque is found to be reduced in subjects with knee osteoarthritis (Serrão, Gramani-Say, Lessi, and Mattiello, 2012).…”

Reliability of isokinetic evaluation in passive mode for knee flexors and extensors in healthy children

“…Muscle strength has been evaluated with different methods, such as manual tests 3 , hand-held dynamometer 4,5 , and isokinetic dynamometer 6,7 . The isokinetic dynamometer has been considered the gold-standard evaluation 7,8 because it allows a quantitative evaluation of muscle function, throughout variables such as torque, power, and endurance 6 . However, before the isokinetic dynamometer can be used for research or clinical rehabilitation, its reliability must be tested 9 .…”