Relationship between pedometer-based physical activity and physical function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a cross-sectional study

Publication date: Available online 26 January 2017
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Hirotaka Iijima, Naoto Fukutani, Takuya Isho, Yuko Yamamoto, Masakazu Hiraoka, Kazuyuki Miyanobu, Masashi Jinnouchi, Eishi Kaneda, Tomoki Aoyama, Hiroshi Kuroki, Shuichi Matsuda
ObjectiveTo examine the association between pedometer-based ambulatory physical activity (PA) and physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).DesignCross-sectional observational study.SettingInstitutional practice.ParticipantsParticipants in orthopaedic clinics (n = 207; age, 56–90 years; 71.5% female) diagnosed with radiographic knee OA (Kellgren/Lawrence [K/L] grade ≥1).InterventionsNot applicable.Main outcome measureAmbulatory PA was objectively measured as steps/day. Physical function was assessed using the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) functional subcategory, 10-meter walk, timed up and go (TUG), and five-repetition chair stand (5CS) tests.ResultsPatients walking <2500 steps/day had a low level of physical function with a slower gait speed, longer TUG time, and worse JKOM functional score compared with those who walk 2500–4999, 5000–7499, and ≥7500 steps/day adjusted for age, sex, body mass index [BMI], and K/L grade. Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that steps/day (continuous) was associated with better physical function adjusted for age, sex, BMI, and K/L grade. These relationships were still robust in sensitivity analyses that included patients with K/L grades ≥2 (n = 140).ConclusionsAlthough increased ambulatory PA had a positive relationship with better physical function, walking <2500 steps/day may be a simple indicator for a decrease in physical function in patients with knee OA among standard PA category. Our findings might be a basis for counseling patients with knee OA about their ambulatory PA and for developing better strategies for improving physical function in sedentary patients with knee OA.



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