Thigh muscle strength and endurance were measured following partial arthroscopic meniscectomy of the knee in 24 patients divided into group 1 (age < 20 yr), group 2 (age 24-40 yr), and group 3 (age > 50 yr). Subjects were studied during and after release from isokinetic rehabilitation. Isokinetic testing was performed at 1.04, 2.09, 3.14, 4.19, and 5.24 radians/second, with release from rehabilitation when quadriceps strength achieved 85% recovery of the non-surgical leg.No significant difference existed among the 3 groups in days from the time of surgery to the start of the first test or for the weeks to release from rehabilitation. Approximately 50% quadricep muscle strength loss was observed at the time of the initial isokinetic test. Quadriceps torque (mean + SE) measured in newton-meters for group 1 at the 1.04 rad/sec speed showed the surgical leg significantly weaker (P<0.001) than the non-surgical leg when tested at the initial test (101.6 +18.2 vs. 189.6 +17.2) and at release from rehabilitation (157.4 +13.3 vs. 176.3 +15.2). Torque measured at the other 4 speeds reached non-significance by the second or third week of rehabilitation. Isokinetic testing for groups 2 and 3 showed surgical leg strength significantly weaker (P<0.05) at the initial test and at week 1 of rehabilitation for the 5 testing speeds, with 85% return of strength by weeks 2 or 3. Strength recovery for all 3 groups showed no significant weakness between legs for hamstring torque after the initial or after the first week of rehabilitation. Percent of knee extensor torque achieved by the knee flexor muscles of the surgical leg for the 3 groups showed significantly greater (P<0.001) values only for the initial test at speeds 1.04 and 2.09 rad/sec. Measures of total work, average power, and endurance calculated from work tests showed little change in muscle endurance between legs.These data indicate that quadricep muscle function is negatively affected following arthroscopic meniscectomy. Release from rehabilitation when surgical to non-surgical leg strength is between 85% to 90X appears to be a valid measure for most patients, which indicates age alone does not appear to be a limiting factor in regaining strength.

As the number of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures increases annually, the patient demographic is shifting to include younger patients with higher expectations for post-operative function. The aim of this study was to compare movement patterns during activities of daily living among TKA patients and a healthy, age-matched group using 3D motion analysis. Specifically, this analysis looked at walking on level and inclined surfaces, as well as sitting up and down from a chair. It was predicted that (1) TKA patients would exhibit reduced knee extension moments at the operated limb and increased adduction moments at the contralateral limb during gait, (2) walking downhill would result in greater differences between TKA and control groups, compared to level walking, and (3) TKA participants would have greater flexion angles, moments and power values at the hip, compared to controls, during the sit-stand tasks. Seventeen participants (age=62±6 years, BMI=30±3 kg/m2, time after surgery=11±5 months) were recruited from the Ottawa Hospital, having undergone unilateral TKA by the same surgeon. An age-matched control group was composed of 17 individuals (age=63±8 years, BMI=27±4 kg/m2) who were recruited from the local community. Three dimensional (3D) biomechanical assessment was conducted with all participants performing five trials of walking on level and inclined surfaces, stair ascent and descent as well as sit-stand tasks. Results from this study were focused on gait and sit-stand transitions, showing that TKA participants exhibited altered gait patterns on both walking surfaces, with significantly smaller knee flexion angles and moments, as well as reduced peak power at the knee. The TKA group also experienced reduced knee extension moments; however, this was only significant for downhill walking. Consistent with our hypothesis, downhill walking resulted in greater discrepancies between the groups compared to level walking. Contrary to our third hypothesis, TKA participants exhibited significantly smaller peak hip flexion angles and moments during the sit-stand task, along with reduced hip abduction angles and knee abduction moments. The reduced knee flexion kinematics and kinetics observed during gait tasks, combined with the differences in frontal plane mechanics observed during the sit-stand task suggest that altered loading patterns persist six to twelve months after surgery. This may be a result of continued pre-operative movement patterns as well as the surgery itself, and should be kept in mind when developing rehabilitation programs for this patient population.

No description available.

Osteoarthritis is characterized by pain and inflammation in joints, typically weight-bearing joints such as the knee. An early warning sign of osteoarthritis is the loss of proteoglycan molecules in the cartilage matrix. A surrogate method for measuring proteoglycan loss is detection of sodium ions, which ionically bond to negatively charged glycosaminoglycan side chains. Sodium MRI has the potential to non-invasively measure proteoglycan content, and hence act as a diagnostic tool for osteoarthritis. However, as sodium MRI suffers from low sodium concentrations in vivo and reduced MR sensitivity compared to standard proton MRI, techniques are required which optimize signal. This thesis examines the hardware, software, and acquisition techniques required in order to achieve high resolution, excellent quality sodium MR images of the human knee in vivo, which has potential applications in early diagnosis as well as pharmacological treatment evaluations of osteoarthritis.

Thesis (MAppSc in Physiotherapy)--University of South Australia, 1997

Thesis (BAppSc(Physio)(Hons))--University of South Australia, 1998

Thesis (MPhysio)--University of South Australia, 1998

Thesis (MPhysio)--University of South Australia, 1998

Thesis (MHSc--Health Science) -- AUT University, 2007. / Primary supervisor : Professor Peter McNair. Includes bibliographical references. Also held in print (xi, 147 leaves : col. ill. ; 30 cm.) in North Shore Campus Theses Collection (T 617.582 BRE)

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2004. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.