부산대학교 도서관

We aimed to explore the cross‐sectional relation of unilateral knee pain severity and temporal asymmetry during walking and to determine relations of temporal asymmetry during walking to 2‐year changes in ipsilateral and contralateral knee pain in those with mild‐to‐moderate unilateral knee pain. The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study is a prospective cohort study of adults with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis. The current study included participants with unilateral knee pain. Gait was assessed during self‐selected and fast walking at baseline. Knee pain was assessed at baseline and 2 years. We calculated limb symmetry indices (LSIs; nonpainful limb/painful limb × 100) for stance, single‐limb support time, and double‐limb support time, then examined their relations to unilateral knee pain severity, incident contralateral knee pain, and persistent ipsilateral knee pain. Unilateral knee pain severity was not associated with temporal asymmetry during self‐selected or fast walking. At 2 years, 17.1% of participants had incident contralateral knee pain and 51.4% had persistent ipsilateral knee pain. For self‐selected walking, greater LSIs (i.e., longer time on the nonpainful limb) for stance and single‐limb support time were associated with decreased odds of incident contralateral knee pain. Measures of temporal asymmetry were not associated with persistent ipsilateral knee pain, except for single‐limb support time during fast walking. For those with unilateral knee pain, temporal asymmetry during walking is not associated with pain severity. However, select measures of stance and single‐limb support time during self‐selected and fast walking relate to longitudinal knee pain outcomes.