No abstract

No abstract

This study aimed to compare men and women on muscle strength, pain, physical function, and gait spatiotemporal parameters at three speeds, verifying the correlation between variables. Forty-two individuals with KOA (21 women) participated in this cross-sectional study. They were assessed using the visual analog pain scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index (WOMAC), lower limb isometric muscle strength, and gait kinematics on a treadmill at three speeds. The results revealed that women had worse clinical measures (WOMAC and muscle strength) (p < 0.006) and reduced step length (p < 0.05). The results also showed that women had more variables correlated with step length and stronger correlations (r = 0.33 to 0.83) than men. In conclusion, the moderate to strong correlation between step length and clinical measures observed for women suggests that step length could be a suitable parameter for assessing women with KOA. Also, the critical role of clinical measures indicates that it could be beneficial to associate the usual intervention with a psychosocial approach for women.