Relationship Between Varus Thrust During Gait and Low Back Pain in Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis. Issue 9 (31st August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Iijima, Hirotaka; Suzuki, Yusuke; Aoyama, Tomoki; Takahashi, Masaki
• Is Part Of: Arthritis care & research. Volume 72:Issue 9(2020)
• Page Start: 1231
• Page End: 1238
• Publication Date: 2020-08-31
• Subjects: Arthritis -- Periodicals; Rheumatism -- Periodicals; 616.72
• DOI: 10.1002/acr.24020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2151-464X

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: To test the hypothesis that varus thrust visualized during gait is associated with a higher prevalence of low back pain (LBP) in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Individuals with knee OA (Kellgren/Lawrence grade ≥1) underwent a gait observation to assess varus thrust. The participants identified LBP and its severity using questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between varus thrust and LBP. Results: We included 205 participants (mean age 68.19 years; 72.20% women). A total of 45 participants (22.0%) showed varus thrust in their painful knee, in whom 31 (68.89%) and 18 (40.00%) were identified as having any LBP and moderate‐to‐severe LBP (numerical rating scale ≥4 points), respectively. Patients with varus thrust demonstrated a 3.6‐fold higher risk of the presence of moderate‐to‐severe LBP (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.62–8.10). In patients with LBP, the presence of varus thrust was associated with more severe LBP intensity (proportional odds ratio 2.25 [95% CI 1.02–4.96]). Conclusion: This study highlights the novel relationship between varus thrust and LBP, which supports the idea of a biomechanical link, the so‐called knee–spine syndrome. These findings provide new insight for clarifying the pathogenesis of LBP related to knee OA.