Relationship of an osteoarthritis of the knee and a knee pain of single-leg on the bilateral difference of ground reaction force in stepping / 体力科学

In this study, we investigated the relationship of an osteoarthritis of the knee (OA) and a knee pain of single-leg on the bilateral difference of ground reaction force in stepping. The subjects were 29 middle-aged women (mean age 63.7±6.7 years). We categorized them into groups based on the following conditions: osteoarthritis of the knee (OA groups; n = 9), knee pain (KP groups; n = 7), and no pain (NP groups; n = 13). We measured the ground reaction force in a vertical direction when stepping on a platform. The evaluation variables were as follows: peak of ground reaction force at the early stance phase (F1), middle phase (F2), and late phase (F3). We calculated the bilateral difference of ground reaction force of the left and right leg and the affected side and the unaffected side ratio. The result of two way ANOVA, there was a significant difference between the leg in F1 and F3 and the group at F2. The result of comparison between the OA groups and the KP groups, there was no significant difference in the unaffected side and the affected side ratio, those in the OA groups tended to have a load on the unaffected side, while those in the KP groups had a load on the affected side. Therefore, it was suggested that there was the relationship of the OA and a knee pain of single-leg on the bilateral difference of ground reaction force in stepping.

Relationship between dynamic postural control ability and abdominal area in middle-aged people / 体力科学

Dynamic postural control ability is necessary for fall prevention in our daily lives. It has been suggested that dynamic postural control ability is highly related to the muscles in the trunk as well as the lower limbs for the keep and move of the body. In this study, we reveal relationship between dynamic postural control ability and abdominal area. Subjects including 31 middle-aged people consist of 12 men and 19 women (mean age 60.0±7.6 years). We measured visceral fat area and cross-sectional area of the trunk muscle using abdominal computed tomography scan. The unstable tilt board is used for measuring dynamic postural control ability. Through multiple regression analysis, it is possible to relate dynamic postural control ability from gender, visceral fat, and deep trunk muscle such as psoas major muscle on abdominal computed tomography scan. It is considered that dynamic postural control ability involved not only increasing the volume of deep trunk muscle but also decreasing the amount of visceral fat.