0
Sign In  | Subscribe
15 April 2003, Vol 138, No. 8>
Summaries for Patients | 15 April 2003

Upper Leg Muscle Strength and Osteoarthritis FREE

[+] Article and Author Information

The summary below is from the full report titled “Quadriceps Strength and Osteoarthritis Progression in Malaligned and Lax Knees.” It is in the 15 April 2003 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 138, pages 613-619). The authors are L. Sharma, D.D. Dunlop, S. Cahue, J. Song, and K.W. Hayes.


Ann Intern Med. 2003;138(8):I-17. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-138-8-200304150-00001
Text Size: A A A

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in middle-aged and older people. It often occurs in weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips. The pain may limit ability to get up from a chair, stand, walk, or climb stairs. The pain tends to get worse with activity, so that pain is worst at the end of the day. Treatment is aimed mainly at relieving symptoms and maintaining function. At present, no treatments change the course of the disease itself. Treatments include simple painkiller drugs, weight loss if needed, physical therapy, and regular exercise. In addition, strengthening the muscles around affected joints may help relieve pain and improve function in the short term. The actual relationship between muscle strength and the course of the disease itself, however, is not clear.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

To study whether greater strength of the muscle on the front upper portion of the leg (quadriceps muscle) slows down the natural worsening of arthritis in people with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Who was studied?

237 men and women with knee osteoarthritis. Their average age was about 64 years.

How was the study done?

The researchers recruited people with symptoms and x-ray findings of knee osteoarthritis. They tested quadriceps strength of these people using a device that measures muscle force against resistance (isokinetic dynamometer). They took x-rays of both lower extremities to see whether the two bones that meet in the knee joint were in line or crooked in some way (malaligned). They also used special tests to measure the looseness (laxity) of each knee joint. The researchers then followed the participants for 18 months to see whether their knee osteoarthritis stayed the same or worsened. Worsening arthritis was defined as more joint space narrowing on knee x-rays. The researchers compared factors that were measured at baseline (quadriceps strength, knee alignment, knee laxity) among participants who did and did not have worsening joint space narrowing.

What did the researchers find?

Using data from the entire group of participants, the researchers found no significant relationship between quadriceps strength at baseline and worsening x-ray findings. Among people who had malaligned knees, baseline quadriceps strength was associated with greater risk for joint space narrowing. Among people with lax knees, baseline quadriceps strength also was associated with greater risk for joint space narrowing.

What were the limitations of the study?

Quadriceps strength was measured only at baseline. How changes in strength and strengthening exercises affect arthritis progression was not tested.

What are the implications of the study?

Greater quadriceps strength may not protect and could worsen arthritis in some people with osteoarthritis who have malaligned or lax knees. These results do not mean that physical activity or exercise in general is harmful in adults with knee osteoarthritis but suggest that, to maintain strength, special exercise programs should be developed for people with malaligned or lax knees.

Figures

Tables

References

Letters

NOTE:
Citing articles are presented as examples only. In non-demo SCM6 implementation, integration with CrossRef’s “Cited By” API will populate this tab (http://www.crossref.org/citedby.html).
Compression-Only CPR: Pushing the Science Forward
Cone
AAM 2010;304:1493-1495.
All you need to read in the other general jounals
BMJ 2010;341:c5893-c1494.

Comments

Submit a Comment
Submit a Comment

Summary for Patients

Clinical Slide Sets

Terms of Use

The In the Clinic® slide sets are owned and copyrighted by the American College of Physicians (ACP). All text, graphics, trademarks, and other intellectual property incorporated into the slide sets remain the sole and exclusive property of the ACP. The slide sets may be used only by the person who downloads or purchases them and only for the purpose of presenting them during not-for-profit educational activities. Users may incorporate the entire slide set or selected individual slides into their own teaching presentations but may not alter the content of the slides in any way or remove the ACP copyright notice. Users may make print copies for use as hand-outs for the audience the user is personally addressing but may not otherwise reproduce or distribute the slides by any means or media, including but not limited to sending them as e-mail attachments, posting them on Internet or Intranet sites, publishing them in meeting proceedings, or making them available for sale or distribution in any unauthorized form, without the express written permission of the ACP. Unauthorized use of the In the Clinic slide sets will constitute copyright infringement.

Toolkit

Buy This Article

to gain full access to the content and tools.

Want to Subscribe?

Learn more about subscription options

Register Now for a free account
Advertisement

Related Content

Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.

In the Clinic
Osteoarthritis
Ann Intern Med. 2007;147(3):ITC8-1.
Topic Collections
PubMed Articles
Baseline and longitudinal change in isometric muscle strength prior to radiographic progression in osteoarthritic and pre-osteoarthritic knees - data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.
Osteoarthritis and cartilage / OARS, Osteoarthritis Research Society Issue date: 2013 May
Thigh muscle cross-sectional areas and strength in advanced versus early painful osteoarthritis-An exploratory between-knee, within-person comparison in osteoarthritis initiative participants.
Arthritis care & research Issue date: 2013 Feb 11

Annals of Internal Medicine

Other Resources

Copyright © 2013 The American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.
Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Buy This Article

to gain full access to the content and tools.

Want to Subscribe?

Learn more about subscription options

Register Now for a free account
Forgot your password?
Enter your username and email address. We'll send you a reminder to the email address on record.
(Required)
(Required)