Abstract
PurposeTo investigate the periarticular degenerative changes of the knee joint in association with osteoarthritis (OA). More tendinosis was expected to be found in the semitendinosus tendon in patients with knee OA than in patients without knee OA.MethodsSamples from 41 patients were included between January 2016 and October 2017. Twenty-one patients median age 53 (33–63) years with mild to moderate OA underwent high tibial osteotomy (HTO) and 20 patients median age 38 (31–57) years without OA underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Biopsies from the semitendinosus tendon were obtained at the time of surgery and examined histologically, morphologically and ultrastructurally using light and electron microscope.ResultsThe histological evaluation of the semitendinosus tendon revealed the presence of more hemosiderin in the ACLR group. No significant morphological or ultrastructural differences were shown between patients in the HTO and ACLR group.ConclusionPatients with mild and moderate medial compartment knee OA displayed no more degenerative changes in their semitendinosus tendon than patients without OA, as seen in both the light and the electron microscope.Level of evidenceIII.
Highlights
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee involves the degeneration of the intraarticular structures of the joint, such as cartilage degradation, subchondral bone sclerosis, synovitis with joint effusion and osteophyte and cyst formation [5]
The amount of quadriceps intramuscular fat is greater in patients with knee OA and it is related to the severity of OA [13]
It has been reported that quadriceps weakness is associated with knee OA and thigh muscle strength is able to predict the risk of future knee replacement [4, 6, 18, 23]
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee involves the degeneration of the intraarticular structures of the joint, such as cartilage degradation, subchondral bone sclerosis, synovitis with joint effusion and osteophyte and cyst formation [5]. Changes in the periarticular tissues around the knee and other joints have been shown in some studies. Rutherford et al investigated lower extremity electromyograms during walking and found that lower extremity neuromuscular function was altered with the presence and severity of knee OA [21]. It has been reported that quadriceps weakness is associated with knee OA and thigh muscle strength is able to predict the risk of future knee replacement [4, 6, 18, 23]
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