RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have demonstrated that low physical activity levels during youth are associated with the development of thin knee cartilage, which may increase susceptibility to osteoarthritis later in life. Here, we propose and test the hypothesis that reductions in physical activity impair knee cartilage growth among people in developing countries experiencing urbanization and increased market integration. METHODS: Ultrasonography was used to measure knee cartilage thickness in 168 children and adolescents (aged 8-17 years) from two groups in western Kenya: a rural, physically active group from a small-scale farming community and an urban, less physically active group from the nearby city of Eldoret. We used general linear models to assess the relative effects of age on cartilage thickness in these two groups, controlling for sex and leg length. RESULTS: Both groups exhibited significant reductions in knee cartilage thickness with increasing age (P < 0.0001; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.15-0.06 mm), yet the rate of reduction was significantly less in the rural than in the urban group (P = 0.012; 95% CI 0.01-0.10 mm). CONCLUSION: The results support our hypothesis by showing that individuals from the more physically active rural group exhibited less knee cartilage loss during youth than the more sedentary urban group. Our findings suggest that reduced physical activity associated with urbanization in developing nations may affect adult knee cartilage thickness and thus could be a factor that increases susceptibility to osteoarthritis.
RESUMO
Until relatively recently, humans, similar to other animals, were habitually barefoot. Therefore, the soles of our feet were the only direct contact between the body and the ground when walking. There is indirect evidence that footwear such as sandals and moccasins were first invented within the past 40 thousand years1, the oldest recovered footwear dates to eight thousand years ago2 and inexpensive shoes with cushioned heels were not developed until the Industrial Revolution3. Because calluses-thickened and hardened areas of the epidermal layer of the skin-are the evolutionary solution to protecting the foot, we wondered whether they differ from shoes in maintaining tactile sensitivity during walking, especially at initial foot contact, to improve safety on surfaces that can be slippery, abrasive or otherwise injurious or uncomfortable. Here we show that, as expected, people from Kenya and the United States who frequently walk barefoot have thicker and harder calluses than those who typically use footwear. However, in contrast to shoes, callus thickness does not trade-off protection, measured as hardness and stiffness, for the ability to perceive tactile stimuli at frequencies experienced during walking. Additionally, unlike cushioned footwear, callus thickness does not affect how hard the feet strike the ground during walking, as indicated by impact forces. Along with providing protection and comfort at the cost of tactile sensitivity, cushioned footwear also lowers rates of loading at impact but increases force impulses, with unknown effects on the skeleton that merit future study.
