Gait cycle time variability in patients with knee osteoarthritis and its possible associating factors.
Takeshi Akimoto, Kenji Kawamura, Takaaki Wada and 4 others
PMID 35221518WHAT IT FOUND
Female knee OA patients showed more irregular timing of their gait cycle than healthy women, even at their comfortable walking speed.
Slower 5-meter walk times and worse knee pain and function were related to this irregularity.
Key findings
01Gait cycle time variability was significantly higher in the knee OA group than in the healthy group.
02In the knee OA group, greater gait cycle variability was related to longer 5-meter walk times and higher WOMAC scores.
03No significant association was found between gait cycle variability and knee extension strength or knee extension range of motion.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 24 knee OA participants and 12 healthy participants, and the authors noted that the small sample size may have affected the results. The design compared groups, so it cannot show that knee OA caused the gait variability or that variability caused slower walking or worse symptoms. Gait was measured on a treadmill, which may differ from normal overground walking. Only knee extension strength and range of motion were measured, so other muscles or joints may have contributed. All participants were female, so findings may not apply to males. The study did not measure falls, so the link between variability and fall risk was not tested.
Declared interests
The funding and conflicts of interest section reported no specific grant from public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read higher gait variability as proof that a treatment will reduce falls or improve symptoms. The study did not measure falls and did not test an intervention.