Table 1 Participant characteristics (n = 291)

Age, years

70.3 ± 6.4

75.3 ± 7.3

72.9 ± 6.6^†1

78.7 ± 7.5^†1,3

< 0.001

Female

68 (75.6)

8 (66.7)

131 (79.9)

22 (88.0)

0.393

Height, cm

154.9 ± 7.4

152.1 ± 5.2

154.6 ± 7.1

149.8 ± 6.4^†1,3

0.007

Mass, kg

56.7 ± 9.1

48.1 ± 8.2^†1

59.4 ± 9.9^†2

51.7 ± 9.7^†3

< 0.001

BMI, kg/m²

23.6 ± 3.0

20.7 ± 2.8^†1

24.8 ± 3.8^†1,2

23.1 ± 4.5

< 0.001

Obesity^*1

3 (3.3)

0 (0.0)

14 (8.5)

1 (4.0)

0.282

Index knee K&L grade

< 0.001

Grade 0

2 (2.2)

1 (8.3)

0 (0)

0 (0)

Grade 1

88 (97.8)

11 (91.7)

0 (0)

0 (0)

Grade 2

0 (0)

0 (0)

107 (65.3)

11 (44.0)

Grade 3

0 (0)

0 (0)

37 (22.6)

11 (44.0)

Grade 4

0 (0)

0 (0)

20 (12.2)

3 (12.0)

JKOM, points

Pain and stiffness^*2,3

5.43 ± 5.09; 4.5 [1, 8]

6.08 ± 6.83; 4.5 [0, 12]

8.87 ± 6.49; 8 [4, 13]^†1

8.20 ± 5.69; 8 [3, 12]

< 0.001

Activities of daily living^*2,3

4.14 ± 4.87; 2 [1, 7]

5.75 ± 5.85; 4.5 [0, 11]

7.47 ± 6.97; 5 [2, 12]^†1

9.68 ± 6.05; 9 [6, 14]^†1

< 0.001

Physical function

Gait velocity, m/s

1.27 ± 0.21

1.06 ± 0.26^†1

1.18 ± 0.22^†1

1.01 ± 0.24^†1,3

< 0.001

Handgrip strength, kg

25.8 ± 6.7

17.1 ± 5.3^†1

25.5 ± 6.4^†2

15.9 ± 3.8^†1,3

< 0.001

Muscle volume

Skeletal muscle index, kg/m²

6.25 ± 0.80

5.50 ± 0.91^†1

6.47 ± 0.78^†2

5.41 ± 0.44^†1,3

< 0.001

Pre-sarcopenia

37 (41.1)

0 (0.0)

37 (22.6)

0 (0.0)

NA

Sarcopenia

0 (0.0)

12 (100.0)

0 (0.0)

25 (100.0)

NA

Severe sarcopenia

0 (0.0)

11 (91.7)

0 (0.0)

24 (96.0)

NA