Perceived biomechanical stresses by sex and osteoarthritis location
| Men | Women | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knee (n = 862) | Hip (n = 478) | Hand (n = 213) | Knee (n = 537) | Hip (n = 272) | Hand (n = 430) | |
| *Difference (knee + hip) versus hand (dependant variable) excluding subjects with joint involvement in more than one category, statistically significant at p<0.05 in multiple logistic regressions including all cofactors in the table. | ||||||
| †Difference in knee versus hip (dependant variable) excluding subjects with joint involvement in more than one category, statistically significant at p<0.05 in multiple logistic regressions including all cofactors in the table. | ||||||
| ‡Body mass index = weight in kilograms/(height in metres)2. | ||||||
| §Lequesne functional score (from 0, no incapacity to 24, maximum incapacity) for knee and hip osteoarthritis, Dreiser functional score (from 0, no incapacity to 30, maximum incapacity) for hand osteoarthritis. | ||||||
| Biomechanical stresses (%) | ||||||
| Lift or carry heavy objects | 74.5 | 71.8 | 71.4 | 50.1 | 50.4 | 44.2 |
| Uncomfortable position of the joint with osteoarthritis | 76.8 | 71.3 | 65.3* | 65.4 | 65.1 | 55.1* |
| Work in vibrating vehicle or with vibrating tools | 35.5 | 38.5 | 39.4 | 5.4 | 3.7 | 4.9 |
| Repeat same movements continuously | 56.1 | 51.5 | 61.0 | 55.7 | 55.9 | 72.6* |
| Work at a pace set by a machine | 18.6 | 18.4 | 22.1* | 10.1 | 7.0 | 17.9* |
| Cofactors | ||||||
| Mean age (years) | 61.2 | 62.4† | 60.6* | 63.5 | 63.8 | 61.7* |
| Mean age at start of symptoms (years) | 53.9 | 55.3 | 52.9 | 55.2 | 54.9 | 53.1 |
| Functional score (median)§ | 10.0 | 10.0 | 7.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 10.0 |
| History of trauma in joint affected by osteoarthritis (%) | 33.8 | 18.2† | 28.9 | 25.0 | 14.8† | 18.0* |
| BMI‡⩾25 | 73.0 | 72.8 | 60.1* | 54.9 | 49.6† | 37.2* |