Desempenho muscular, composição corporal, dor e funcionalidade em idosos com osteoartrose de joelho

Abstract

In the last decades, population ageing hit both developed and developing countries and it has been considered a relevant issue by the public sector and the society in those countries. The ageing process gives rise to a progressive decline of joint, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, pulmonary and metabolic functions and also to important changes in body composition, which result in an increase in body adiposity and in a reduction in lean body mass, to name but a few consequences. Amongst the diseases that strike the joint function, osteoarthrosis is considered the one that affects the musculoskeletal system the most, causing degeneration of the articular cartilage, being the knee the second most affected joint by the aforementioned disease. The decrease in muscular function is potentially more evident in elderly citizens with knee osteoarthrosis, being possibly attributed to reduced levels of physical activity, to pain and to joint effusion. The present study aimed at correlating muscular performance, body composition, pain and functionality in elderly patients with knee osteoarthrosis. Methodologically, it was a cross-sectional study that took place at Laboratório de Análise do Movimento Humano of Centro Universitário Augusto Motta (UNISUAM) with 21 elderly patients, 18 of whom were sixty-year-old (or older) women, who had been previously trialed at the physiotherapy department at Centro Municipal de Reabilitação, in Engenho de Dentro, Rio de Janeiro. The following methods of analysis were used: bioelectrical impedance aimed at evaluating body composition; surface electromyography to analyze muscular strength and fatigue; and the questionnaire about quality of life specific for patients with hip and knee osteoarthrosis WOMAC, aiming at observing the functional capacity of those elderly patients. Pearson’s correlation test was used, having the results being considered significant when p ≤ 0.05. The sample showed 67.36 ± 4.21 years old, body fat percentage of 40.57 ± 6.15 %, total score in WOMAC of 43.27 ± 16.32, and maximum strength of 19.95 kg.F ± 6.98 KgF. Pain during movement showed an association with pain domain (r=0.47; p=0.02), physical activity (r=0.47; p=0.02) and activities in general (r=0.51; p=0.01) in WOMAC; and pain intensity at night with pain domain (r=0.42; p=0.05) and stiffness (r=0.55; p=0.01) in WOMAC, in addition to having a negative correlation with the slope values of the Medium Frequency of the electromyographic signal. In conclusion, pain intensity is correlated to the functional incapacity of elderly people with knee OA and to a higher prevalence of fatigue signs.