The following is a summary of “Sustained limb-level loading: a ground reaction force phenotype common to individuals at high-risk for and those with knee osteoarthritis,” published in the November 2023 issue of Rheumatology by Bjornsen et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate whether individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and those with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) exhibit similar patterns of vertical (vGRF), anterior-posterior (apGRF), and medial-lateral (mlGRF) ground reaction forces (GRF) during the stance phase of gait compared to uninjured controls and across Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) radiographic severity grades of KL2, KL3, and KL4.

They examined 196 participants with biomechanical data on gait gathered from individuals 6-12 months after ACLR (n=36), uninjured controls matched to the ACLR group (n=36), and individuals with KL2 (n=31), KL3 (n=67), and KL4 OA (n=26). Applying a functional linear model, group differences in vGRF, apGRF, and mlGRF were assessed at each % of the stance phase relative to the ACLR group.

The results showed early and late stances. The ACLR group showed reduced vGRF and apGRF compared to uninjured controls, with substantial effects (effect size range: 1.35-1.66). During a small portion of late stance, the ACLR group displayed higher vGRF (87-90%; 4.88%BW; effect size (d)=0.75) and apGRF (84-94%; 2.41%BW; effect size (d)=0.79) than the KL2 group. There were no notable differences in mlGRF profiles between the ACLR and uninjured controls or the KL2 group. The difference in GRF profiles between ACLR and OA groups increased with OA severity.

Investigators concluded that Similar GRF profiles in individuals 6-12 months post-ACLR and those with KL2 KOA suggest the potential benefits of targeted interventions to address aberrant GRF patterns.

Source: acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/art.42744