Journal article
Association of Walking Cadence to Changes in Knee Pain and Physical Function: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study
Osteoarthritis and cartilage open, Vol.7(1), 100575
03/2025
DOI: 10.1016/j.ocarto.2025.100575
PMCID: PMC11849617
PMID: 39995587
Abstract
Determine the association of walking cadence to incident and worsening knee pain and physical function over 2 years in adults with or at risk for knee OA.
Participants from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis study were included.
Cadence was measured using a GAITRite walkway. Incident and worsening knee symptoms, pain with walking, and functional limitations were assessed at baseline and 2 years later. The association of cadence to each outcome was analyzed using log binomial regression. Cadence was assessed continuously as a 10-unit change and categorically using quartiles. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race, BMI, presence of tibiofemoral OA, depression, and history of knee injury. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for all outcomes adjusted for gait speed and stratified by sex.
Among 1600 participants (60.3% female, age 67.1 ± 7.7 years), lower cadence was not significantly associated with incident or worsening knee symptoms, pain with walking, or functional limitations. For every 10-step/min decrease in cadence, the risk of incident knee symptoms increased by 10% (RR=1.10, 95%CI [0.97, 1.25]), though this was not statistically significant and was attenuated after adjusting for gait speed (RR=0.95, 95%CI [0.80, 1.12]). No significant associations were observed for incident or worsening pain with walking or functional limitations. Sex-stratified analyses revealed inconsistent findings, including an increased risk for incident functional limitations in females (RR=1.45, 95%CI [1.02, 2.08]), which was attenuated after adjusting for gait speed.
Lower cadence was not significantly associated with pain and function, suggesting that the interplay between cadence, gait speed, and clinical outcomes warrants further investigation.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Association of Walking Cadence to Changes in Knee Pain and Physical Function: The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study
- Creators
- Khara A. James - Northeastern UniversityTuhina Neogi - Boston UniversityDavid T. Felson - Boston UniversityPatrick Corrigan - Saint Louis UniversityCara L. Lewis - Boston UniversityIrene S. Davis - University of South FloridaKathryn L. Bacon - Boston UniversityJames C. Torner - University of IowaCora E. Lewis - University of Alabama at BirminghamMichael C. Nevitt - University of California, San FranciscoJoshua J. Stefanik - Northeastern University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Osteoarthritis and cartilage open, Vol.7(1), 100575
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ocarto.2025.100575
- PMID
- 39995587
- PMCID
- PMC11849617
- NLM abbreviation
- Osteoarthr Cartil Open
- ISSN
- 2665-9131
- eISSN
- 2665-9131
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Grant note
- NIH: U01AG18947, U01AG18832, U01AG19069, U01AG18820, P30AR072571 American College of Sports Medicine Foundation Doctoral Student Grant: 21-01405 Foundation for Physical Therapy Research
The MOST is supported by the NIH U01AG18947 (Lewis) , U01AG18832 (Torner) , U01AG19069 (Nevitt) , U01AG18820 (Felson) , and P30AR072571 (Felson) . KAJ received funding from the American College of Sports Medicine Foundation Doctoral Student Grant (21-01405) . JJS and KAJ were further supported by the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research. The funding sources did not have a role in the conduct or reporting of the study.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 02/01/2025
- Date published
- 03/2025
- Academic Unit
- Neurology; Epidemiology; Injury Prevention Research Center; Neurosurgery
- Record Identifier
- 9984786445502771
Metrics
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