Relationship between muscle strength, physical peformance, quality of life and sarcopenia status among menopausal women with knee osteoarthritis / Noor Syahidah Noor Azim

Introduction:Postmenopausal women face a decline in physiological systems that lead to alterations in muscle mass and strength, physical performance, and osteoarthritis (OA). The impact of sarcopenia on the well-being of postmenopausal women with OA is unclear. This study aims to (1) compare muscle strength, physical performance, and quality of life (QOL) between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic postmenopausal women with knee OA, (2) investigate the correlation between the sarcopenia status using Strength, Assistance in walking, Rise from a chair, Climb stairs and Falls (SARC-F) score, that included muscle strength, and physical performance in sarcopenic menopausal women with knee OA, and (3) determine the association of QOL with the muscle strength, physical performance, and sarcopenia status among postmenopausal women with knee OA. Method: A cross-sectional study recruited 110 postmenopausal women with knee OA between 50 to 75 at a selected government-funded physiotherapy clinic. Sarcopenia status was evaluated using the SARC-F questionnaire with a cut-off of 4. Meanwhile, the European quality of life (EQ5D5L) utility was used to evaluate the QOL. The assessments performed were handgrip strength (HGS), five times repeated chair stand (RCS), and handheld dynamometer for quadriceps strength. The participants were subjected to gait speed and the TUG test for physical performance.Results: An independent t-test showed a significantly (p < 0.01) higher HGS and less time to complete the timed up and go (TUG) test in the non-sarcopenic group than those with sarcopenia. There is a significant (p < 0.001) lower Malaysian EQ5D utility in postmenopausal women with knee OA and sarcopenia than in those without sarcopenia (0.71 and 0.82). Furthermore, significantly lower findings are observed in EQ5D5L profiles, i.e., mobility, usual activities, pain/discomfort (all p < 0.001), and anxiety (p < 0.01) in groups with sarcopenic than those without sarcopenia. Gait speed was significantly associated with the sarcopenia status measured by SARC-F score in the sarcopenic group. SARC-F score of 34.7% of the utility variation, while the SARC-F score and knee muscle strength combined accounted for 37.3% of the total variance of utility score. Conclusion: This sarcopenia group has lower muscle strength, poorer physical performances and poorer in QOL. Higher SARC-F score is associated with slower gait speed. Sarcopenia status and knee muscle strength are significantly associated with the QOL of postmenopausal women with knee OA. The early identification of sarcopenia status may help in preventing lower muscle strength and poorer physical performances and may improve QOL.