Higher knee flexion moment during walking is associated with a lower risk of knee pain developing among the elderly after 24 months.
Zongpan Li, Kam L Leung, Chen Huang and 4 others
PMID 37195650WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with a higher knee flexion moment while walking had less frequent knee pain after two years.
No association was found at twelve months, and knee adduction moment trends suggested higher risk. This challenges the idea that more sagittal loading is harmful.
Key findings
01A higher peak knee flexion moment at baseline was significantly associated with a lower incidence of frequent knee pain at 24 months.
02Baseline knee moments were not associated with the risk of any knee pain at the 12-month follow-up.
03There were non-significant trends showing that a higher peak knee adduction moment was associated with a higher risk of developing knee pain at 24 months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was underpowered due to early interruption by COVID-19, resulting in fewer participants than planned (162 recruited vs >200 planned). Knee pain was assessed via telephone interview rather than a validated daily questionnaire, which may introduce recall bias. The study did not account for the use of painkillers or other treatments, which could mask the incidence of pain. Participants were asymptomatic at baseline, so findings may not apply to those with existing knee osteoarthritis.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by Dr. Roy Chung for a separate project on mobile imaging of knee motion, and the sponsor was not involved in the design, analysis, or writing of this study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of association at 12 months as evidence that knee loading is irrelevant. The significant protective effect of knee flexion moment was only seen at 24 months, and the trends for knee adduction moment were non-significant, meaning these findings are hypothesis-generating rather than definitive proof.