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| The way people walk can lead to knee injuries in their later years, according to Vassilios Vardaxis, a clinical biomechanist who is an assistant professor of kinesiology in the IU School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation. "Osteoarthritis is an age-related joint disease that is particularly noticeable in the knee. As the population ages, we expect this disease to increase considerably," Vardaxis said. It already afflicts 20 million Americans and may very possibly become the disease of the 21st century, he added. His research is directed to the relationship of knee osteoarthritis to the way people walk, or their gait. "We want to find out if the way people walk in their younger years creates a predisposition to these knee problems in their senior years. Do all able-bodied males walk in the same way? Is there a gender-specific gait? This is all part of our ongoing research work," he said. Vardaxis is hopeful that such factors as body weight and gait retraining can lessen the impact of knee osteoarthritis. Vardaxis can be reached at 812-855-0682 or vardaxis@indiana.edu | |
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Publication date: April 27, 2001
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