Abstract
[Purpose] This study looked for predictors of walking speed after half a year for patients with knee osteoarthritis (knee OA). [Subjects and Method] Forty-eight outpatients with knee OA (11 men, 37 women; 74.8 ± 7.2 years) were enrolled in this cohort study. The 5m maximum walking speed (5mMWS) was measured as the dependent variable. Candidate predictors included maximum isometric muscle strength of knee extensors and flexors, hamstrings/quadriceps muscle strength ratio, knee pain, and knee range of motion. Multivariate analyses adjusted for confounding factors such as sex, age, height, weight, and pain medications were conducted. [Results] Higher maximum isometric muscle strength of knee extensors and flexors, higher range of motion in knee extension as well as decreased knee pain at baseline significantly predicted a faster 5mMWS. [Conclusions] These findings suggest that the strength of knee extensors, strength of knee flexors, knee extension range of motion and knee pain are important for walking speed in a population with knee OA.
