The effectiveness of self-adjustable custom and off-the-shelf bracing in the treatment of varus gonarthrosis.

Background: A recent development in valgus-producing knee braces has been the adjustable "unloader" brace. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of off-the-shelf and custom-made patient-adjustable, valgus-producing knee unloader braces in relieving pain, reducing stiffness, and improving function and in reducing varus angulation and the peak adduction moments about the knee during gait and stair-stepping in patients with painful varus gonarthrosis of the knee.

Methods: Ten adult patients served as their own controls for the measurement of baseline values and then wore each of the two braces, one after the other, for four to five weeks in a random order.

Pain relief in knee osteoarthritis reduces the propensity to trip on an obstacle.

The pain associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA) has been shown to lead to an increased propensity to trip on an obstacle. Pain-relieving intra-articular injections are widely utilized in the treatment of knee OA. This study examined the effects of pain-relieving intra-articular knee injections on the ability to avoid contacting a suddenly appearing obstacle in patients with knee OA.

Bilateral total knee arthroplasty increases the propensity to trip on an obstacle.

Tripping over an obstacle is the most frequent cause of falls. We examined the effects of total knee arthroplasty on obstacle avoidance success rates in older adults. Obstacle avoidance success rates, body mass index, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, depth perception, and single-leg stance duration were evaluated in 29 subjects who had bilateral total knee arthroplasties (age range, 72.

Osteoarthritis of the knees increases the propensity to trip on an obstacle.

Tripping on an object is the most frequent cause of falls. We examined the effects of painful osteoarthritis of the knee on obstacle avoidance success rates in older adults. Obstacle avoidance success rates, pain, body mass index, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, depth perception, and single-leg stance duration were evaluated in 17 patients with painful osteoarthritis of the knees (age range, 59.

Effects of knee pain relief in osteoarthritis on gait and stair-stepping.

Osteoarthritic knee pain affects patient mobility. Relief of knee pain in osteoarthritis has been reported to increase loading of the knee during gait, but it is unknown whether such pain relief enhances knee loading during more demanding activities such as stair-stepping. The gait of 19 patients and stair-stepping of 14 patients with painful medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee was assessed before and after pain-relieving intraarticular injection of the knee and compared with those of 21 healthy control subjects.