EFFECT OF KNEE VALGUS UNLOADER BRACE IN VARUS-ALIGNED INDIVIDUALS ON FEMORAL ARTICULAR CARTILAGE DEFORMATION ACUTELY FOLLOWING WALKING PROTOCOL

EFFECT OF KNEE VALGUS UNLOADER BRACE IN VARUS-ALIGNED INDIVIDUALS ON FEMORAL ARTICULAR CARTILAGE DEFORMATION ACUTELY FOLLOWING WALKING PROTOCOL Public Deposited

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Creator

Valentine, Joshua
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Exercise and Sport Science

Abstract

Progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA) has been associated with excessive cartilage loading. Varus knee malalignment has been hypothesized to increase the load through the medial compartment of the knee. The purpose of our study was to examine the effects of a valgus unloader knee brace in individuals with varus knee alignment on medial femoral articular cartilage deformation following a standardized walking protocol. Medial compartment cartilage area (MCCA) was measured in 24 healthy subjects pre and post walking 5000 steps across two conditions: braced and unbraced. Percent area change was measured from pre to post in each condition and evaluated via paired samples t-test. There was no difference in percent change of MCCA between conditions. A post hoc analysis found a subgroup of individuals, who deformed more than the minimal detectable change for cartilage area, deformed less during the braced compared to the unbraced condition. These findings suggest a valgus unloader knee brace may decrease the mechanical load on the medial femoral articular cartilage in varus individuals who experience measureable deformation during usual unbraced walking.

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