[Gait and neuromuscular activity changes in female older adults with knee osteoarthritis]

From November to December of 2018, twenty 65-year-old or older women patients with knee osteoarthritis were recruited from the Department of Physical Therapy, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University. Meanwhile, twenty healthy 65-year-old or older women were recruited from the local community. The results showed that the knee contact angle of the patient group was more flexed (P=0.040), and the minimum angle of the knee joint increased (P=0.008) during the stance period compared to the healthy group. However, there was no significant difference in the maximum contact angle between the angle of hip and ankle joints. In addition, the tibialis anterior muscle of the patients was significantly smaller than the healthy group (P=0.023). Therefore, knee osteoarthritis could change the gait and muscle activity of older women, especially the knee joint.