ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2025
Thigh muscle features in female patients with severe knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Personalized training and orthopedic inserts bring significant benefits in the posturographic assessment of patients with early gonarthrosis - a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Thigh muscle volume change is associated with longitudinal structural and functional knee osteoarthritis progression - Data from the osteoarthritis initiative.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2026Article
- Reliability of quadriceps and hamstring muscle stiffness measured by ultrasound shear wave elastography in patients with knee osteoarthritis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Analysis of muscle architecture variables and their relationship with functional capacity in patients with fibromyalgia: A cross-sectional study.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2026Article
- Efficacy of Tuina in patients with knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Shear wave elastography for noninvasive assessment of intracompartmental pressure in tibial plateau fractures: a cross-sectional study.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundMuscle function deterioration in female patients with severe knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is linked to alterations in muscle morphology, composition, and mechanical properties. This study evaluates thigh muscle features in female patients with severe KOA and explores correlations with knee joint function.
methodsUltrasound and shear wave elastography measured physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA), echo intensity (EI), and shear modulus (G) in the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), vastus medialis (VM), biceps femoris long head (BFL), and semitendinosus (ST) of 24 KOA patients and 24 controls. EI indicates intramuscular fat, while G reflects stiffness. Muscle characteristics were compared between groups, and correlations with knee function scores (WOMAC, KSS, HSS) were analyzed.
resultsIn patients, the symptomatic side displayed reduced PCSA for RF, VL, VM, BFL, and ST (15.85[Formula: see text], 28.18[Formula: see text], 21.53[Formula: see text], 11.67[Formula: see text], 6.59[Formula: see text] respectively) vs. controls (19[Formula: see text], 36.32[Formula: see text], 23.37[Formula: see text], 14.15[Formula: see text], 7.12[Formula: see text] respectively). EI was elevated (128.95, 121.12, 105.72, 90.52, 93.15) vs. controls (100.39, 93.97, 88.14, 77.69, 78.73), and G values (9.48 kPa, 7.88 kPa, 6.9 kPa, 7.2 kPa, 9.03 kPa) was higher than controls (8.85 kPa, 5.28 kPa, 5.98 kPa, 6.58 kPa, 6.73 kPa). BFL`s G, ST`s G, and VM`s EI, negatively correlated with knee function, whereas BFL`s PCSA positively correlated. The variable importance of BFL's PCSA and G ranked at the top in all scores.
conclusionsCompared to controls, PCSAs in muscles on both sides of KOA patients were lowered by up to 22%, indicative of muscle loss and diminished strength. The G value is 20.65% higher, suggesting poor flexibility and elevated passive tension. EI in muscles on both sides of KOA patients was greater, reaching up to 23.88%, possibly reducing contractile components and muscle force. G, PCSA, and EI are closely correlated with function scores, and PCSA and G of BFL are the most significant predictors of knee function. These results may help explain muscle dysfunction in KOA patients. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
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