valgus varus laxity

Cause or Consequence?

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Updated September 03, 2013.

Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board .

Joint laxity is defined as looseness or instability of a joint. Joint laxity has been associated with osteoarthritis, but is it a cause of osteoarthritis, or a consequence of the disease?

Normal Joint Flexibility and Laxity

According to Internal Medicine News, the normal range of joint laxity varies between different people and over time. It's a fact that some people are born more flexible than others, while others may have consciously worked at expanding their range of motion by participating in activities such as yoga or stretching exercises. We know that joint mobility is greater in women than men, and children are also quite flexible, though flexibility decreases with age.

Conditions That Cause Joint Laxity

Several syndromes with abnormal joint laxity are suggestive of a genetic cause. Those conditions include Marfan syndrome. Stickler syndrome. and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Other conditions — heritable disorders of connective tissue — may also fit into this group. Many patients with heritable disorders of connective tissue have dental crowding or a high, narrow palate. Other characteristics, depending on the syndrome, include: soft skin, easy bruising, hernias, early-onset osteoarthritis. gastric or bowel problems, postural orthostatic tachycardia, and neurally mediated hypotension.

Marfan patients face aortic root dilation and rupture. Stickler syndrome patients are at risk for osteoarthritis and skeletal dysplasia. Most of the conditions that fall under Ehlers-Danlos syndrome deal with joint laxity and soft skin to some degree.

Laxity in Knee Osteoarthritis

Laxity in osteoarthritic knees has not been extensively studied in humans. In 1999, researchers did take on the task. They evaluated varus-valgus and anteroposterior laxity in 25 young study participants. There were also 24 older participants without clinical osteoarthritis, without radiographic osteoarthritis or prior knee injury — and 164 study participants with knee osteoarthritis and osteophytes .

Researchers concluded that increased laxity associated with osteoarthritis may actually predate the disease. Loss of cartilage is linked to greater varus-valgus laxity; it's possible that varus-valgus laxity increases the risk of knee osteoarthritis and also contributes to the progression of the knee osteoarthritis.

Another study, published in 2005, assessed the associations between changes in joint structure, such as joint space narrowing or osteophyte formation and laxity, and joint malalignement and laxity in people with knee osteoarthritis. After performing certain tests, researchers concluded that both joint space narrowing and malalignment are related to joint laxity.

Patients with knee laxity, depending on its severity, may be advised to avoid high impact activity or resistance training. In these cases, low-resistance training is used to help stabilize the joint. Bracing and supporting the knee may be beneficial as well.

Laxity in Ankle Osteoarthritis

Typically, chronic ankle laxity begins with an injury to the ligaments that keep a normal ankle stable. X-rays and MRI help confirm a diagnosis of laxity of the ankle. Physical therapy, bracing, ice, elevation, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to rehabilitate the ankle.

Laxity in Hip Osteoarthritis

One of the primary conditions associated with hip laxity is Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH), an abnormal formation of the hip joint whereby the ball and socket do not fit together well. In DDH, the ligaments of the hip joint may be loose, causing laxity or instability. In some children, at birth, the thighbone is loose in the socket. In others, the thighbone is completely out of the socket. The looseness can worsen as the child grows and becomes more active. The condition, if untreated, has been associated with an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis.

Sources:

Genetic Causes of Joint Laxity. Internal Medicine News. Howard P. Levy. 04/01/08.

Laxity in healthy and osteoarthritic knees. Sharma L. et al. Arthritis & Rheumatism. 1999May;42(5):861-70.

Structural joint changes, malalignment, and laxity in osteoarthritis of the knee. van der Esch M. et al. Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology. 2005 Jul-Aug;34(4):298-301.

Ankle Laxity. Cedars-Sinai. Accessed 1/29/13.



Varus Stress Test

- Torn Collateral Tested in Flexion:

- when tested in flexion which relaxes posterior capsule, same ligamentous laxity will result in a much greater degree of instability;

- at 30 deg flexion, the cruciates are in their most relaxed state, and pathologic laxity palpated is capsular laxity;

- varus instability in flexion:

- role of LCL increases w/ joint flexion, as posterolateral structures become lax;

- w/ joint flexion, resistance by ACL decreases, but large forces are found in PCL at 90 degrees of flexion;

- LCL is primary restraint to varus stress at 5 deg & 25 deg flexion;

- lateral capsular structure provide secondary support;

- iliotibial band & popliteus muscles have dynamic stabilizing role;

- Torn Collateral Tested in Extension:

- intact cruciate ligaments and posterior capsule are taut & little abduction or adduction instability is detectable;

- instability w/ varus or valgus stress testing suggests cruciate ligament disruption in addition to collateral ligament disruption;

- varus laxity in hyperextension;

- instability to varus angulation indicates damage to arcuate complex & PCL ;

- cruciate ligaments (primarily ACL) resist approx 25% of moment at full extension;

- One Plane Lateral Instability:

- one plane lateral instability is apparent on varus stress testing when knee opens on the lateral side;

- indicates disruption of lateral capsular ligament, LCL. biceps tendon. iliotibial band, arcuate & popliteus complex, PCL. and possibly the

ACL (this is major instability approaching severity of disloation );

- expect to find increased varus rotation and external rotation at 30 deg of knee flexion;

- similarly, the same knee flexed to 90 deg will demonstrate decreased varus and external rotaion moments;

- in contrast, when there is increased varus rotation and external rotation moments at both 30 and 90 deg of flexion, then there are tears of

the PCL and posterolateral corner



Гимнастика для стоп (варус, вальгус, плоскостопие)

Гимнастика для стоп

Плоскостопие - наследственное заболевание, в основе которого лежит слабость связочного аппарата. Многие люди с детства имеют предрасположенность к плоскостопию . У таких людей связки не обеспечивают поддержание сводов стопы, и последние под весом тела постепенно уплощаются. Плоскостопие куда проще предотвратить (или контролировать его развитие), чем излечить полностью. Если с раннего возраста носить детскую ортопедическую обувь и использовать индивидуальные ортопедические стельки, многих проблем удастся избежать. У взрослых людей, как правило, не идет речь об излечении от плоскостопия . т.к. в большинстве случаев момент уже упущен. Покупка ортопедической обуви и использование индивидуальных ортопедических стелек в данном случае требуется для коррекции и не допущении дальнейшего прогрессирования и развития осложнений, таких как деформация пальцев, артроз мелких суставов стопы, перегрузка позвоночника, вальгусная деформация стопы и тд. Наш ортопедический магазин предлагает различные варианты ортопедической обуви . которые ориентированы на лечение и профилактику плоскостопия .

Ношение ортопедической обуви является очень важным, но не единственным условием недопущения развития проблем со стопами. Большое значение, особенно для детей, имеет ношение индивидуальных ортопедических стелек, а так же укрепление мышц и связок стопы и голеностопного сустава посредствам регулярного выполнения гимнастики для стоп. Гимнастика является обязательной составляющей мер, направленных на улучшение состояния стоп. Несложные упражнения, знакомые многим еще с детского сада, являются эффективным средством укрепления сводов стопы, способствуют улучшению кровообращения. Наиболее эффективно сочетание гимнастики и хождения по ортопедическому коврику .

Руки на поясе, ходьба на пятках;

Руки на поясе, ходьба на наружной стороне стоп при согнутых пальцах ног.

Опираясь на наружные своды стоп выполнять повороты туловища (по 6-8 раз);

Подъемы на носках, опираясь на наружные своды (по 10-12 раз).

Сгибание пальцев на ногах (по 15-20 раз);

Выпрямить колени, потянуть носки на себя (по 15-20 раз), затем по мере возможности соединить подошвы ног (по 15-20 раз);