[Gonarthrosis: is the role of pathological statics overestimated?]

57 patients (15 males and 42 females) with osteoarthrosis and/or pathological statics of the knee were examined clinically and radiographically. The question was whether pathological statics (genu varum) act significantly in the pathogenicity of the condition.

a) In a large number of cases it was impossible to determine whether the static deviation were the cause of the osteoarthrosis or whether the reverse were the case. b) The frequency of development of osteoarthrosis in knees with pathological statics was not greater than in those with normal statics. c) The topography of the osteoarthrosis, which one would expect to be a function of the direction of static deviation, was not more frequent in genu varum than in statically normal knees. d) In unilateral genu varum, in some cases the same degree and topography of osteoarthrosis was observed in both knees. e) In a sufficient number of cases, the amount of osteoarthrosis was minimal in relation to the degree of static deviation. f) In genu varum, a deviation was located in the proximal portion of the tibia, whereas in genu valgum, the deviation was located in the distal portion of the femur. The findings "b, c, e" were verified statistically. These findings raise doubts as to the aetiology of pathological statics in the pathogenicity of osteoarthrosis of the knee. Pathological statics alone are not sufficient and probably require other factors for the development of osteoarthrosis.