Purpose] The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between falls and foot deformity among patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). [Participants and Methods] Ambulatory subjects aged 40 years and over were recruited consecutively as they were added to the waiting list for knee arthroplasty or high tibial osteotomy at Tottori University Hospital between April and September in 2014. Thirty female patients were recruited for this study (mean age 75.0 ± 9.5 years, range 51-85).

more »

... el angle, dorsiflexion, navicular drop test (NDT), arch height index, hallux valgus angle, small toe varus angle, and expanse angle were measured to assess foot dysfunction. Physical performance (muscle strength of knee extension, one-leg standing time, 5-m gait time, Timed up and go test), Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure, and Geriatric Depression Scale were also assessed. [Results] Falls were significantly correlated with NDT according to multivariate analysis. [Conclusion] This finding suggests that foot dysfunction is one of the risk factors of falls among patients with knee OA.