Abstract
Osteoarthritis is frequently associated with varus or valgus deformities and lateral thrust on walking, To examine the clinical significance of lateral thrust, we evaluated 20 normal and 20 osteoarthiritic (OA) knees using an accelerometer placed directly over the knee joints. The total value of peak acceleration in the medial-lateral direction was measured on a treadmill regulating the speed at 2km/h, 4km/h, 6km/h. In order to determine the absolute value of lateral thrust of the knee, we deducted medial-lateral acceleration of the ankle from that of the knee. Results showed that as walking speed increased, the lateral thrust of the knee tended to increase in both the normal and OA group. However it was noted that along with an increasing walking speed, lateral thrust had a greater tendency in the OA group than in the normal proup.
