Knee strengthening exercises might help with osteoarthritis

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Quadriceps strength slows down cartilage loss in knee osteoarthritis, despite previous fears.
The quadriceps muscle is responsible for straightening the leg at the knee joint. It is widely believed that a strong quadriceps can help those with knee osteoarthritis. However, there has also been concern that greater quadriceps strength could be harmful to the main knee joint, the tibiofemoral, especially if the knee is misaligned. Furthermore, little is known about how quadriceps strength affects the patellofemoral joint, which is the smaller one in the knee.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have carried out an extensive study of the knee joint in a group of 265 men and women with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Each participant's quadriceps strength was measured at the start of the 30 month study and magnetic resonance imaging studies used to assess cartilage loss at both knee joints.

Those with greater quadriceps strength had no worsening of cartilage loss at the tibiofemoral joint, even if the knee was misaligned. Increased strength also maintains knee stability and protects against cartilage loss at the outer part of the patellofemoral joint. The researchers comment that a stronger quadriceps keeps the knee cap from moving laterally and tracking abnormally with joint movement. The findings suggest that exercises that improve quadriceps strength could be very beneficial for those with knee osteoarthritis.

Source
American College of Rheumatology meeting 11th November 2006

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