Association Between Average Daily Activity Counts and Knee Osteoarthritis Progression

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Physical Therapy

Background:

• Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease.
• Understanding the impact of physical activity on OA progression is crucial for management.
• Current recommendations for physical activity in knee OA patients lack specific thresholds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dose-response relationship between daily physical activity counts and knee OA progression.
• To identify potential optimal activity thresholds for mitigating OA progression.

Main Methods:

• A cohort study utilizing data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI) was conducted.
• 610 participants aged 45-79 with knee OA or at risk were included.
• Daily activity was measured using accelerometers, and OA progression was assessed via Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grade and joint space narrowing (JSN) scores over two years.

Main Results:

• A U-shaped relationship was observed between daily activity counts and knee OA progression.
• Moderate activity levels (below 3263.3 counts/min) were associated with reduced risk of KL-grade and JSN-score progression.
• Both very low and high activity levels were linked to an increased risk of OA progression.

Conclusions:

• Moderate physical activity may offer a protective effect against knee OA progression.
• Both insufficient and excessive physical activity may exacerbate knee OA.
• Personalized physical activity guidelines are necessary for individuals with or at risk of knee OA.