Evaluation of Ground Reaction Forces in Patients With Various Severities of Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) changes the force applied on the lower extremities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between various severity of KOA and the forces applied to the lower limb during walking. Sixty eight limbs were divided into three groups of mild, moderate and severe KOA and a healthy normal group according to the Kellgren-Lawrence scale. The subjects walked with a self-selected speed to collect five successful trials. The components of ground reaction forces i.e., medio-lateral (ML), first peak of antero-posterior (AP1), second peak of antero-posterior (AP2), first peak of vertical (VP1), second peak of vertical (VP2) and vertical valley (V.V) were collected. AP1 and AP2 had decreasing pattern with increasing disease severity. Although ML Peak and VV have shown rising trend from normal people to severe KOA, ML difference was not significant in various groups (p > 0:05). In addition, the VP1 did not differ significantly among the subjects. In contrast, the VP2 decreased significantly in OA subjects (p ¼ 0:002). It seems that AP1 and VP2 components are more sensitive to KOA, which may be used to represent severity of knee OA.

Estimating Vertical Ground Reaction Force during Walking Using a Single Inertial Sensor

“…The passive peak (PP) is the result of the foot's collision with the ground, whereas the active peak (AP) results from the active force applied by the foot into the ground as it pushes off. The magnitude and timing of these peaks influence the loads experienced at the joints and muscles of the lower limb, and may result in the development or exacerbation of musculoskeletal overuse injuries and conditions such as osteoarthritis [1,2]. Typically, the measurement of the vGRF requires a force plate, either embedded in an instrumented treadmill or in an over ground walkway.…”

Analysis of Symmetry of Weight-Bearing in Athletes With and Without Low Back Pain during Gait

“…Asymmetrical load bearing is a mechanical risk factor which has already been investigated in people with musculoskeletal disorders (22)(23)(24)(25). A significant asymmetrical loading on the limbs could be associated with an asymmetrical stress in bilateral tissues, which could lead to tissue injuries and therefore musculoskeletal pain syndrome.…”

“…Gait is an important functional activity repeated frequently throughout daily activities. Asymmetrical loading on the limbs during gait may result in different musculoskeletal pain syndromes such as LBP (21,24,25). To date, symmetry of loading in people with LBP, to the best of our knowledge, has been investigated only in two studies (25,26).…”

“…The peaks of the forces were extracted using QTM software. The asymmetrical force applied on the legs in each direction was determined based on the asymmetry index (ASI) proposed by Herzog et al (31) and others (24)(25)(26)31). For the ASI calculation, we have:…”

“…The asymmetrical loading applied on the legs during functional activities is a biomechanical risk factor, which could contribute to developing symptoms in patients with musculoskeletal disorders (21)(22)(23)(24). Some authors believe that asymmetrical loading on the limbs during functional and recreational activities, such as a sport activity, may be associated with asymmetrical loading applied on the lumbar spine tissues (21,22,25,26).…”