Association of Physical Activity Measured by Accelerometer, Knee Joint Abnormalities, and Cartilage T2 Measurements Obtained From 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Data From the Osteoarthritis Initiative

Abstract

Objective To study the cross-sectional association between physical activity measured with an accelerometer, structural knee abnormalities and cartilage T2-values assessed with 3T MRI. Methods We included 274 subjects from the Osteoarthritis Initiative cohort without definite radiographic osteoarthritis (KL 0 and 1) and at most mild pain, stiffness and functional limitation in the study knee (WOMAC 0–1), which had not limited their activity due to knee pain. Physical activity was measured over seven days with an ActiGraph GT1M accelerometer. Subjects were categorized by quartile of physical activity based on the average daily minutes of moderate/vigorous activity (mv-PA). MR images of the right knee (at 48-months visit) were assessed for structural abnormalities using a modified WORMS score and for T2-relaxation times derived from segmented cartilage of 4 femorotibial regions and the patella. WORMS-grades and T2-measurements were compared between activity quartiles using a linear regression model. Covariates included age, sex, BMI, knee injury, family history of knee replacement, knee symptoms, hip and ankle pain and daily wear time of the accelerometer. Results Higher mv-PA was associated with increased severity (p=0.0087) and number of lesions of the medial meniscus (p=0.0089) and severity of bone marrow edema lesions (p=0.0053). No association between cartilage lesions and mv-PA was found. T2-values of cartilage (loss, damage, abnormalities) tended to be greater in the higher quartiles of mv-PA, but the differences were non-significant. Conclusion In knees without radiographic osteoarthritis in subjects with no or mild knee pain, higher physical activity levels were associated with increases in meniscal and BMEP lesions.

Tool for osteoarthritis risk prediction (TOARP) over 8 years using baseline clinical data, X‐ray, and MRI: Data from the osteoarthritis initiative

“…Preventative efforts such as weight reduction(17,43) and various levels of exercise(16,44) may decrease risk for OA progression and may be advised after assessing an individual’s long term risk for OA. One study found that a weight loss of 5% body weight over 30 months decreased the risk of incident radiographic knee OA(45); another study suggested that moderate exercise may be a “good treatment” for subjects at high risk for OA(46), and a meta-analysis showed that long term weight loss is increased when diet and physical activity are combined(47).…”

Is Weight Loss Associated with Less Progression of Changes in Knee Articular Cartilage among Obese and Overweight Patients as Assessed with MR Imaging over 48 Months? Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

“…Cartilage defects were scored from 0 to 6, and bone marrow edema patterns (BMEPs) were scored from 0 to 3 in the same six regions (patella, trochlea, medial femur, lateral femur, medial tibia, and lateral tibia). For each subscale (WORMS cartilage, meniscus, BMEP), a sum score was calculated by adding the scores of all subregions of each knee (37).…”

Hyperintense signal alteration in the suprapatellar fat pad on MRI is associated with degeneration of the patellofemoral joint over 48 months: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

“…Complete baseline and follow-up patellofemoral WORMS readings were available for the right knees of a sample of 443 of these potentially eligible subjects previously obtained by our group for several NIH-funded studies (Fig. 1) [22][23][24][25][26][27][28]. To minimize any potential influence caused by abnormalities of the extensor mechanism, and especially the quadriceps tendon in addition to inflammatory processes leading to effusion-synovitis, subjects showing these findings at baseline (extensor mechanism, n = 7; effusion-synovitis, n = 10) were excluded.…”