The Impact of the Severity of Knee Osteoarthritis on the Postural Stability

Abstract Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most widespread orthopedic diseases among elderly people. Biomechanical effects of this disorder are widely studied. In case of very intense knee osteoarthritis, typical measurements such as gait analysis are no longer possible. On the other hand stance tests can be performed even in these very severe cases. In our research, the biomechanical effects of knee osteoarthritis on postural stability in respect to the degree of abrasion were studied. The participants were divided into two groups according to the degree of osteoarthritis on Kellgren-Lawrence scale (KL3 and KL4+). The load distribution was measured during 30 seconds long bipedal stance. Load distribution between the affected and non-affected leg was determined. From measured parameters the coordinates of the center of pressure (COP) and the axes’ length and area of the 95% confidence ellipse of COP are also calculated. It was found that the confidence ellipse parameters are significantly increasing in respect to the severity of osteoarthritis which means the deterioration of osteoarthritis causes worsening the balancing capability. It could be established, the affected leg is less loaded compared to the healthy leg in both groups.