Sabet Fereshteh, Ebrahimipour Ehsan, Anbarian Mehrdad
Sports Biomechanics Department, Sports Science Faculty, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamden, Iran.
Musculoskeletal Care. 2025 Mar;23(1):e70049. doi: 10.1002/msc.70049.
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is characterised by altered gait mechanics, which can lead to significant functional impairments. This study aims to investigate plantar pressure distribution during walking and assess functional mobility in patients with early-stage KOA, providing insights for targeted therapeutic interventions.
Eighteen women with KOA were matched with 18 healthy controls for this study. We assessed plantar pressure distribution, relative phase durations during the stance phase, and performance on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Independent sample t-tests were employed to identify group differences, with significance set at p < 0.05.
Patients with KOA exhibited significantly lower maximum plantar pressure in the Toe 1 (p < 0.01), medial heel (p < 0.01), and lateral heel (p < 0.01) regions, while demonstrating higher pressure in the Metatarsal 4 (p < 0.01) and midfoot (p < 0.01) areas. Furthermore, KOA patients spent less time in the initial contact (p = 0.01), foot-flat (p < 0.01), and forefoot push-off (p = 0.03) phases but more time in the forefoot plantarflexion phase (p < 0.01). Additionally, KOA patients demonstrated longer TUG times (p < 0.01), indicating reduced functional mobility.
Early-stage KOA patients display distinct patterns of plantar pressure distribution and impaired functional mobility compared with healthy controls. These findings highlight the necessity for interventions aimed at addressing altered gait mechanics in KOA, which could help mitigate mobility limitations and enhance patient outcomes.
膝关节骨关节炎（KOA）的特征是步态力学改变，这可能导致严重的功能障碍。本研究旨在调查早期KOA患者行走时的足底压力分布，并评估其功能活动能力，为有针对性的治疗干预提供见解。
本研究将18名KOA女性患者与18名健康对照者进行匹配。我们评估了足底压力分布、站立期的相对相位持续时间以及计时起立行走测试（TUG）的表现。采用独立样本t检验来确定组间差异，显著性设定为p < 0.05。
KOA患者在第1趾（p < 0.01）、内侧足跟（p < 0.01）和外侧足跟（p < 0.01）区域的最大足底压力显著较低，而在第4跖骨（p < 0.01）和中足（p < 0.01）区域的压力较高。此外，KOA患者在初始接触期（p = 0.01）、足放平期（p < 0.01）和前足蹬离期（p = 0.03）花费的时间较少，但在前足跖屈期花费的时间较多（p < 0.01）。此外，KOA患者的TUG时间较长（p < 0.01），表明功能活动能力下降。
与健康对照者相比，早期KOA患者表现出独特的足底压力分布模式和功能活动能力受损。这些发现凸显了针对KOA步态力学改变进行干预的必要性，这有助于减轻活动受限并改善患者预后。
