Prospective study of self‐reported pain, radiographic osteoarthritis, sarcopenia progression, and falls risk in community‐dwelling older adults
Open Access
- 7 July 2011
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Arthritis Care & Research
- Vol. 64 (1), 30-37
- https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.20545
Abstract
Objective To examine the potential role of self‐reported joint pain, stiffness, and dysfunction, and radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA), in sarcopenia progression and falls risk in older adults. Methods Seven hundred nine older adults (50% women, mean ± SD age 62 ± 7 years) were examined at baseline and followup (mean ± SD 2.6 ± 0.4 years). ROA was assessed using the Altman atlas, and pain at 7 anatomic sites was self‐reported. Dual x‐ray absorptiometry assessed leg lean mass, dynamometry assessed knee extension and whole leg strength, leg muscle quality (LMQ) was calculated as whole leg strength relative to leg lean mass, and the Physiological Profile Assessment assessed falls risk. Results In women only, baseline knee pain predicted a greater decline in knee extension strength, whole leg strength, and LMQ, and a greater increase in falls risk. Severe knee pain, stiffness, and dysfunction predicted greater declines in knee extension strength and increases in falls risk (all P < 0.05). Hip pain also predicted a greater decline in knee extension strength (−1.53 kg; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] −2.95, −0.11). No associations were observed between pain and sarcopenia indicators in men. Somewhat surprisingly, higher baseline total knee ROA score predicted a greater increase in mean leg lean mass (0.05 kg; 95% CI 0.02, 0.08) in both sexes. A path analysis demonstrated that knee ROA may contribute to declines in LMQ in women, through increases in pain, stiffness, and dysfunction. Conclusion Knee and hip pain may directly contribute to the progression of sarcopenia and increased falls risk in older women.This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
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