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Quadriceps muscle strength and its relationship to radiographic knee osteoarthritis in Japanese elderly

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Orthopaedic Science

Abstract

Background

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease and strongly affected by mechanical factors. The aims of the present study were to assess validity and reliability of a new muscle strength measuring device, the Quadriceps Training Machine (QTM) and evaluate the relationship between quadriceps strength measured by QTM and radiographic knee OA by epidemiological survey.

Methods

The isometric knee extension muscle strength of QTM was compared with BIODEX in 24 healthy adults. Then, the relationship between radiographic knee OA and quadriceps strength using QTM was investigated with 2,032 knees in 1,016 subjects by an epidemiological survey (Matsudai Knee Osteoarthritis Survey).

Results

Significant correlation was observed between QTM and BIODEX (r = 0.69, 0.82). In the Matsudai Knee Osteoarthritis Survey, the prevalence of radiographic OA (grade II or higher upon Kellgren–Lawrence classification) was: 13, 36.9, 67.8, and 86.5 %, regarding women in their fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties, respectively, and was 1.7, 13.4, 33.5, and 66.2 % regarding men, respectively. Quadriceps muscle strength declined following 50 years of age, and significant decline was observed in the their sixties and seventies. Quadriceps muscle strength of the OA group (grades II, III and IV) was significantly declined compared with that of the Non-OA group (grade-0 and I). Furthermore, the tendency of the muscle strength level to decline with the progression of knee OA grade was particularly observed between grade 0 and grade I in both men and women and between grade I and grade II in men.

Conclusion

The relationship between radiographic knee OA and quadriceps strength was quantitatively evaluated by an epidemiological survey, and we found a correlation between knee OA and the decline in quadriceps strength. Furthermore, it was suggested that the decline in quadriceps muscle strength may be more strongly related to the incidence of knee OA than to its progression.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partially supported by H20-Chouju-009 (Director, Noriko Yoshimura) from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan. The authors thank Takeshi Kaburaki, Hiroko Aouda, Katsutoshi Nishino, and other members of the rehabilitation unit of Niigata Medical Center for their assistance in Matsudai Knee Osteoarthritis Survey.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Transdisciplinary Research, Institute for Research Promotion, Niigata University, 2-8050, Igarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata City, 950-2181, Niigata, Japan

    Go Omori

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Niigata Medical Center, 3-27-11, Kobari, Nishi-ku, Niigata City, 950-2022, Niigata, Japan

    Yoshio Koga & Hiroshi Watanabe

  3. Niigata Institute for Health and Sports Medicine, 67-12, Seigoro, Chuo-ku, Niigata City, 950-0933, Niigata, Japan

    Masaei Tanaka

  4. Medical Engineering Laboratory, Alcare Co., Ltd, 1-21-10, Kyojima, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, 131-0046, Japan

    Atsushi Nawata & Kentaro Narumi

  5. Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398, Shimami-cho, Kita-ku, Niigata City, 950-3198, Niigata, Japan

    Kazuo Endoh

Authors
  1. Go Omori
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  2. Yoshio Koga
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  3. Masaei Tanaka
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  4. Atsushi Nawata
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  5. Hiroshi Watanabe
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  6. Kentaro Narumi
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  7. Kazuo Endoh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Go Omori.

Additional information

This study was performed in Niigata University, 2-8050, Igarashi, Nishi-ku, Niigata City 950-2181, Niigata, Japan.

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Omori, G., Koga, Y., Tanaka, M. et al. Quadriceps muscle strength and its relationship to radiographic knee osteoarthritis in Japanese elderly. J Orthop Sci 18, 536–542 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00776-013-0383-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00776-013-0383-4

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