Weakened Knees a Big Cause of Falls for Older People: Study
"Falls, injury from falls and poor balance confidence areextremely common and debilitating problems in older people,"
said study author Michael Nevitt, a professor of epidemiology
and biostatistics at the University of California, San
Francisco.
"The present study has demonstrated for the first time that
knee instability and knee buckling are important causes of
these problems in the very large segment of the older
population suffering from knee pain," Nevitt added.
Therefore, doctors should make treating knee instability a
priority among older patients, the researchers said.
Often triggered by weak muscles and poor balance, knee
buckling is common among older people and those with knee
osteoarthritis, the researchers explained. Along with
sustaining serious injuries from falls, older people may develop
fears about losing their balance and falling again.
The scientists examined the association between knee buckling
among older people and their health and quality of life. The
study involved more than 1,800 people whose average age
was 67 when the study began. The participants either had
knee osteoarthritis or were at high risk for the condition.
Knee buckling affected almost 17 percent of them at the end
of five years. After seven years, 14 percent had recurrent
falls, the study published Feb. 8 in Arthritis Care &
Research found.
The researchers noted those whose knees "gave out" after
five years were more than twice as likely to experience
repeated falls, fear of falling and concerns about their
balance two years later.
The participants who fell when their knee buckled at the
beginning of the study were more than four times as likely to
have experienced repeated falls in the next two years. They
were also twice as likely to be seriously hurt in a fall. Their
risk tripled for fall-related injuries that limit activities, and they
were four times more likely to have balance issues, the
researchers said.
"Fortunately, it may be possible to treat knee instability and
prevent knee buckling with targeted exercises. Joint
replacement surgery can also improve knee stability," Nevitt
said.
The researchers said doctors should talk to patients with
knee osteoarthritis about their balance and whether their
knees buckle.
These patients should then be counseled on protecting
themselves from falls, including how to use walking aids,
strengthen their legs and choose supportive shoes, they
added.
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