Knee buckling common in adults

ONE in eight older adults experience buckling at the knees despite having no history of injury or osteoarthritis, a study shows.Researchers questioned more than 2300 men and women aged 36 to 94 years recruited from the community of Framingham, Massachusetts, on whether they had felt their knees “give way” within the past three months.

Some 12% had at least one episode of knee buckling, they found (Ann Intern Med 2007;147:534-40).

Of those reporting knee buckling, 12% had a fall during an episode.

The participants, whose median age was 63 years, typically had knee pain and/or quadriceps weakness.

The researchers found that, while most of those who reported knee buckling were just walking, many were climbing stairs and some were twisting or turning.

“Of participants with knee buckling, roughly two-thirds noted a little or a lot of limi­tation on climbing stairs,” they wrote.

The researchers said that knee buckling was not a focus outside of orthopaedic settings, but the data from this study suggested it was a common clinical problem.

Quadriceps strengthening and balance training were among the treatments that could improve physical function in an ageing population, and lessen the fear of falling among people with knee problems, they said.