The Effect of Diabetes and Exercise on Knee Joint Stiffness and Mcl Structural Properties in the Rat

INTRODUCTION Diabetes has a myriad of symptoms and deleterious effects throughout the body. Orthopedic considerations have primarily focused on the increased stiffness and brittleness of bone tissue, due to the associated increase in fracture risk [1, 2]. However, soft tissues are also affected causing limited joint mobility [3, 4]. Increases in ligament and joint capsule stiffness may cause impaired mobility, impaired proprioception, and other functional limitations. In addition, the perception of stiff joints may cause diabetic patients to avoid physical activity that could actually improve both their overall health and their joint stiffness. Though there is some clinical evidence that diabetes increases the stiffness of soft tissues [5], and reduces joint range of motion [3, 4], recent clinical evidence indicates that there may be no significant increase in overall joint stiffness, but only range of motion [6]. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of uncontrolled type I diabetes on overall joint stiffness in the rat and the ability of exercise to modulate (prevent or reduce) any diabetes-related changes.