Meniscal Tears and Knee Movement in Postmenopausal Women
Author Information
Author(s): Miranda L Davies-Tuck, Anita E Wluka, Andrew J Teichtahl, Johanne Martel-Pelletier, Jean-Pierre Pelletier, Graeme Jones, Changhai Ding, Susan R Davis, Flavia M Cicuttini
Primary Institution: Monash University
Hypothesis
Is there an association between meniscal tears and knee movement during walking in postmenopausal women without knee osteoarthritis?
Conclusion
The study suggests that gait parameters may be associated with meniscal damage in postmenopausal women.
Supporting Evidence
- Meniscal tears were present in 45% of the participants.
- The presence and severity of medial meniscal tears were positively associated with the peak external knee adduction moment.
- A trend for late stance was observed in the association between medial meniscal tears and knee adduction moment.
Takeaway
This study looked at how walking might affect knee injuries in older women. It found that certain walking patterns could be linked to knee damage.
Methodology
Three-dimensional gait analyses and MRI were used to assess knee movement and meniscal tears in 20 non-osteoarthritic women.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to self-reported knee injuries and the cross-sectional nature of the study.
Limitations
The sample size was small and results may not be generalizable to men or osteoarthritic populations.
Participant Demographics
20 postmenopausal women, average age 60.7 years, without knee osteoarthritis.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.04 for presence of medial meniscal tears, 0.01 for severity
Confidence Interval
95% CI for foot rotation increase: 0.5 to 11.8
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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