Strong thigh muscles protect women from osteoarthritis symptoms

by Anil Kumar



Thigh muscle strength does not predict the occurrence of knee osteoarthritis (OA) uncovered in x-rays, but does predict incidence of painful or stiff knee OA, revealed by researchers at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Women with the strongest quadriceps muscles appeared to be protected against the development of knee OA symptoms.

Details of this study appear in the September issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology.

Neil Segal, M.D., M.S., and colleagues in a study funded by the National Institute on Aging followed 3,026 men and women ages 50-79 over a 30-month period in the Multicenter Knee Osteoarthritis Study (MOST) to assess whether knee extensor strength would predict incident radiographic (OA that can be determined through X-ray) or symptomatic knee OA. Of those enrolled, a total of 2,519 knees were included in the study of radiographic knee OA and 3,392 knees were evaluated for the combination of radiographic OA and symptoms of OA that include pain, aching or stiffness on most days of the month.

Participants were evaluated for thigh muscle strength using an isokinetic dynamometer, a device that measures the strength of different muscle groups. The balance of muscle strength between quadriceps and hamstrings (H:Q ratio) was used to assess weakness in the lower extremity musculature. X-rays of the knees were taken at the onset of the study and the conclusion to determine the presence of OA.

By the conclusion of the study 48 of 680 men and 93 of 937 women developed OA detected by x-ray. At the end of the 30-month period 10.1% of women and 7.8% of men displayed signs of symptomatic knee OA.

"Our results showed thigh muscle strength was not a significant predictor of radiographic knee OA," concluded the authors. Women in the top third of peak knee extensor strength had a lower incidence of symptomatic knee OA, while men with strong thigh muscles had only slightly better odds of developing OA symptoms compared to men with weaker knee extensor strength. "The H:Q ratios were not predictive of symptomatic knee OA in either men or women," added researchers.

Article:
"Effect of Thigh Strength on Incident Radiographic and Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis in a Longitudinal Cohort," Neil A. Segal, James C. Torner, David Felson, Jingbo Niu, Leena Sharma, Cora E. Lewis, Michael Nevitt. Arthritis Care & Research; Published Online: August 27, 2009 (DOI 10.1002/art); Print Issue Date: September_15, 2009.


(Anil Kumar -- sub-editor compiled and published Strong thigh muscles protect women from osteoarthritis symptoms at HealthNewsTrack on August 27, 2009 sourced from Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell)

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