Research progress of Gait analysis in knee osteoarthritis diagnosis

ABSTRACT

Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) is a joint disease with the main pathological changes of knee articular cartilage degeneration, loss and gradual deterioration. Clinically, KOA is more common in the middle-aged and the elderly, mainly manifested as knee pain and limited mobility, and walking disabilities. Walking is the basis of human behavior, and gait is the characteristic of human behavior when walking. Gait analysis (GA) studies the characteristics of the human body's gait behavior while walking, and combines knowledge of kinematics, dynamics, and biomechanics to analyze and obtain digital information on gait characteristics. GA is an effective tool for quantitative assessment of gait disorders. In KOA patients, the knee dynamic and static systems are unbalanced, the lower limb force lines are abnormal, and then the lower limb movement abnormalities occur, which affects normal gait. Researchers have taken gait feature analysis of KOA patients as a research hotspot, hoping to grasp the condition of patients with GA at different stages of KOA diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. In this paper the research progress of the studies on the GA patients' gait characteristics obtained by gait analysis was reviewed. This paper is expected to provide a more accurate digital basis for the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation assessment of KOA, and make the patient's diagnosis and treatment plan more precise.