Article

Anthropometric characteristics, particularly body mass, are important factors in
the development and progression of varus/valgus angular deformities of the knee
and have long-term implications including increased risk of osteoarthritis.
However, information on how excessive body weight affects the biomechanics of
dynamic activities in children is limited. The purpose of this study was to test
the hypothesis that during stair-walking lower extremity joint moments normalized
to body mass in obese children are greater than those in normal-weight children.
Eighteen obese children (10.5+/-1.5 years, 148+/-10cm, 56.6+/-8.4kg) and 17
normal-weight children (10.4+/-1.3 years, 143+/-9cm, 36.7+/-7.5kg) were
recruited. A Vicon system and two AMTI force plates were used to record and
analyze the kinematics and kinetics of ascending and descending stairs.
Significant differences in spatio-temporal, kinematic and kinetic parameters
during ascending and descending stairs between obese and normal-weight children
were detected. For stair ascent, greater hip abduction moments (+23%; p=0.001)
and greater knee extension moments (+20%; p=0.008) were observed. For stair
descent, smaller hip extension moment (-52%; p=0.031), and greater hip flexion
moments (+25%; p=0.016) and knee extension moments (+15%, p=0.008) were observed
for obese subjects. To date, it is unclear if and how the body may adapt to
greater joint moments in obese children. Nevertheless, these differences in joint
moments may contribute to a cumulative overloading of the joint through
adolescence into adulthood, and potentially result in a greater risk of developing knee and hip osteoarthritis.
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Langue : ANGLAIS