Gait Asymmetry and Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture: A Preliminary Study

Pringle, Samuel and D'Aout, Kristiaan ORCID: 0000-0002-6043-7744 (2025) Gait Asymmetry and Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Rupture: A Preliminary Study BIOLOGY-BASEL, 14 (2). 208-. ISSN 2079-7737, 2079-7737

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Abstract

Knee post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) often develops in younger populations following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture, accounting for 12% of all symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA). The current literature implicates gait asymmetry in late-stage knee OA progression; however, early-knee PTOA development involvement is ill defined. This study explored gait asymmetry involvement in early-stage knee PTOA following ACL ruptures. Gait asymmetry, measured as asymmetry in duty factor (relative contact time), and joint loading data were collected, using infrared-camera motion capture and Kistler force plates for participants exhibiting either historical ACL ruptures (ACL+; n = 4) or no previous joint trauma (ACL−; n = 11). Joint loading measures included external knee adduction moment (EKAM) and external knee flexion moment (KFM), early (peak 1; EKAMp1 and KFMp1) and late (peak 2; EKAMp2 and KFMp2), stance peaks (Nm/kg), and respective time integrals (Nm·ms/kg; iEKAMp1, iEKAMp2, iKFMp1, and iKFMp2). ACL+ exhibited greater asymmetrical duty factor (78% difference) and greater joint load differences: EKAMp1 (26%), EKAMp2 (49%), KFMp1 (37%), iKFMp1 (44%), and iKFMp2 (60%). Significant relationships were found between duty factor asymmetry and both KFMp2 (R² = 0.665) and iKFMp2 (R² = 0.504). These preliminary data suggest gait asymmetry-induced joint loading may contribute to knee PTOA progression, but further research with increased sample sizes and the quantitative assessment of cartilage status is required.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), gait asymmetry, duty factor, external knee adduction moment (EKAM), knee flexion moment (KFM)
Divisions:	Faculty of Health & Life Sciences Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Inst. Life Courses & Medical Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	17 Feb 2025 09:42
Last Modified:	16 Jun 2026 20:03
DOI:	10.3390/biology14020208
Open Access URL:	https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/2/208
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3190344
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