Watch Your Step

It’s always good to find drug-free solutions to the myriad of problems associated with general health and aging. York University PhD candidate Brian Street and his colleagues have found a -surprising antidote that could help slow the progression of osteoarthritis – in some cases, even delaying the need for surgery. And it doesn’t require a prescription. 

Knee osteoarthritis, which is usually very painful and can decrease quality of life, affects roughly one in five adults over age 45.

The York study comprised 15 healthy male participants. Their strides were analyzed using special cameras and sensors that measure the forces developed in the joints of our legs as we walk. These state-of-the-art tools gave Street a unique 3-D perspective of each participant’s movements as they demonstrated three different gait conditions: regular, toe-out and narrow (that is, narrower than normal). A complete movement picture was captured, for both the “dominant” limbs, favoured for propulsion, and the non-dominant, stabilizing limbs.

The study’s results showed that the narrow gait significantly reduced the early stance phase external knee adduction moment (EKAM), which occurs just as our foot first hits the ground, by approximately 50 per cent. EKAM is the movement of the upper portion of the leg relative to the lower portion. The EKAM causes the lower portion of the leg to be pulled inward, creating a kind of bow-legged position, resulting in forces created  during walking to be concentrated on the inner portion of the knee – not good if you suffer from knee osteoarthritis.

Knee surgery has been shown to reduce EKAM by 30 to 40 per cent compared to narrow gait’s 50 per cent. However, Street notes that while narrow gait may be suitable for some people, it can also increase the risk of falling for other individuals. Bottom line? “Narrow gait may work, but people should use it judiciously.” ■