Low quadriceps strength increased the risk of worsening cartilage damage in the lateral patellofemoral joint of women, suggesting that optimizing quadriceps strength may help prevent worsening of structural damage in the patellofemoral joint. This according to a recent study that aimed to examine the sex‐specific relation of quadriceps strength to worsening patellofemoral and tibiofemoral cartilage damage over 84 months. Researchers utilized The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (MOST), a cohort study of individuals with or at risk for knee osteoarthritis (OA). Maximal quadriceps strength was assessed at baseline. Cartilage damage was semi‐quantitatively assessed by magnetic resonance images (MRIs) at baseline and 84‐month follow‐up using the Whole‐Organ MRI Score (WORMS). 1,018 participants (mean age 61±8 years, and BMI 29.3±4.5 kg/m²; 64% female) were included.

They found:

• Quadriceps weakness increased the risk of worsening lateral patellofemoral cartilage damage in women (risk ratio for lowest vs highest quartile of strength: 1.50) but not in men.
• There was generally no association between quadriceps weakness and worsening cartilage damage in the medial or lateral tibiofemoral compartment for either women or men.