Stronger quads shown to reduce need for knee replacement surgery

Editor's Note

Stronger thigh muscles could help patients to avoid knee replacement surgery, HealthLine November 27 reports. Preliminary research findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

Osteoarthritis is caused by age-related wear and tear and often occurs in those over 50. According to the article, some 14 million US adults have symptomatic knee osteoarthritis, and more than 600,000 patients undergo total knee replacement surgery each year. According to this study, which has not yet been published, stronger quadricep muscles can help to reduce the need for knee replacement surgery.

The researchers compared the thigh muscle volume of 134 participants who had osteoarthritis, half of whom had undergone total knee replacement on one knee, the other half having had no surgery. They determined via MRI images that a higher ratio of quadricep muscles relative to the hamstrings led to a significant reduction in the likelihood of total knee replacement surgery.