Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

Ankle strength impairments associated with knee osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: Knee Osteoarthritis seems to negatively impact ankle biomechanics. However, the effect of knee osteoarthritis on ankle muscle strength has not been clearly established. This study aimed to evaluate the ankle strength of the plantar flexors and dorsiflexors of patients with knee osteoarthritis in different degrees of severity.

METHODS: Thirty-seven patients with knee osteoarthritis and 15 controls, subjected to clinical and radiographic analysis, were divided into three groups: control, mild, and moderate knee osteoarthritis. Participants answered a self-reported questionnaire and accomplished a muscle torque assessment of the ankle using the Biodex dynamometer in isometric, concentric and eccentric modes.

FINDINGS: The mild osteoarthritis group (peak torque=26.85(SD 3.58)) was significantly weaker than the control (peak torque=41.75(SD 4.42)) in concentric plantar flexion (P<0.05). The control and mild osteoarthritis groups were not significantly different from the moderate osteoarthritis group (peak torque=36.12(SD 4.61)) in concentric plantar flexion. There were no significant differences for dorsiflexion among the groups; however the control and moderate osteoarthritis groups presented large and medium standardized mean differences. The mild osteoarthritis group was significantly lower than the control and moderate osteoarthritis groups in the concentric plantar flexion by concentric dorsiflexion torque ratio.

INTERPRETATION: Ankle function exhibited impairments in patients with knee osteoarthritis, especially in the plantar flexion torque, in which the mild osteoarthritis group was weaker than the control. Interestingly, patients with moderate knee osteoarthritis showed results similar to the control group in plantar flexion torque. The results raise the possibility of a compensatory mechanism of the plantar flexors developed by patients in more advanced degrees to balance other muscle failures.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app