Development of a new indicator of torsional stress in lower extremity in osteoarthritis of knee

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17761
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Bunkyo Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: Ohkawa Takahiro 学校法人文京学院 文京学院大学, 保健医療技術学部, 助教 (30649827)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: Free moment / 変形性膝関節症 / 歩行 / 摩擦

Outline of Final Research Achievements

During walking, the lower extremities are under torsional stress. A decrease in the physiological torsion angle of the tibia has been reported as a characteristic of patients with knee osteoarthritis, and This study focused on the free moment as an index of torsional stress in the lower extremity. Clarifying the relationship between the free moment during walking and the tibial torsion angle will help us acquire new knowledge for elucidating the cause of knee osteoarthritis and contribute to new clinical applications. Comparing the knee osteoarthritis group and the healthy subject group, there was no significant difference in the free moment value, but there was a difference in the relationship between the tibia torsion angle and FM. It was found that the waveforms are different.

Free Research Field

バイオメカニクス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Free momentについては報告数が極めて少なく、未だ明らかになっていないことが多い。変形性膝関節症患者の特徴である脛骨の変形とFree momentとの関係について明らかにすることで、変形性膝関節症に対する予防やリハビリテーションの一助になることを目的とした。
本研究によって、Free momentが健常者と変形性膝関節症患者とでは脛骨の形状との関係が異なること、また同じ変形性膝関節症であってもFree momentの波形は対象者間で大きく異なる場合があることが明らかになり、今後さらなる研究によって変形性膝関節症に関する新たな知見を得る可能性があることが示唆された。