Freedom in Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Abstract

The first peak of the external knee abduction moment (KAM) is often used as a surrogate measure of the medial compartment loading and has been correlated with pain and progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA). As a result, reducing the KAM is often the target of conservative interventions. OA should be considered as a “Whole Person” disease, including ecological psychosocial aspects. Scientists have developed gait alteration strategies to reduce the KAM. They attempted to force into a new position any particular part without reference to the pattern of the whole. We propose an alternative approach: in the vicinity of a special configuration of the knee, some or all of the components of the knee become overloaded. This study has shown that when six lines $1′, $′2, $′3, $′4, $′5, $′6 are so situated that forces acting along them equilibrate when applied to one degree of freedom, 1◦ F knee, a certain determinant vanishes. We wish to define the six lines as the knee complex in involution by virtue of some constraint upon the knee.