Individuals with knee osteoarthritis demonstrate increased passive stiffness of the hip flexor muscles

There is a substantial body of literature demonstrating that individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) walk with increased co-contraction of the knee flexor and extensor muscles [1]. This increased co-contraction has been linked with elevated joint loading [2], increased loss of articular cartilage [3] and has been shown to increase the likelihood that patients will opt for a knee replacement at 5-year follow up [4]. Given the potentially damaging effect of co-contraction, it is important to understand the underlying biomechanical mechanisms.

Source: The Knee - February 16, 2023 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Stephen J. Preece, Wael Alghamdi, Richard K. Jones Source Type: research