Everyone has a different approach. According to an Australian study, people who put more pressure on the hips and knees are more likely to develop knee osteoarthritis.
- Osteoarthritis of the knee, also called “gonarthrosis”, affects 30% of people aged 65 to 75.
- People whose knee moves outwards and inwards are twice as likely to worsen their osteoarthritis.
Age, overweight, heredity, metabolic or inflammatory diseases… Several factors can promote the occurrence of osteoarthritis, namely a joint pathology characterized by cartilage destruction. Gait could also have an impact on the risk of onset and worsening of osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. This was suggested by a study carried out by researchers from the University of Sydney (Australia) in collaboration with scientists from the University of British Columbia (Canada), whose the results were published in October in the medical journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage.
A link between gait and the onset of osteoarthritis
To carry out their work, the researchers examined 23 searches. After their analysis, the scientists discovered that 91% of the studies established a link between gait and the onset or progression of this rheumatism. The results suggested that “certain signs during walking were associated with an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis of the knee or hip”. The study authors noted that, when walking, some people had their knee move outward and inward. As a result, they put more pressure on that joint and their hips. This approach would increase twice the risk of aggravating this chronic disease.
“This is the first study to confirm that certain human biomechanics or movements are associated with the onset and worsening of osteoarthritis. The results of this study are significant, as these risk factors can be looked for in a biomechanics lab and are modifiable by certain therapies. We are conducting trials of different walking methods in our new state-of-the-art biomechanics lab.”said Nicole D’Souza, author of the work.
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