How biomechanical factors and compensatory strategies influence joint contact forces?

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Many studies have reported that individual characteristics (e.g., age, sex, genetic factors) and differences in biomechanical factors (e.g., body weight, mechanical alignment) may predispose the joint to degenerative diseases. Studies also report that some compensatory strategies (e.g., increased toe-out angle, increase trunk lean) are often adopted by individuals during daily activities (consciously or not) to cope with joint disorders in order to minimize pain. To quantify the efficiency of these strategies, authors generally reported the reduction of lower joint moments during gait. However, recent studies have questioned the real impact of these parameters on the minimization of joint contact forces. Based on our knowledge, little is known about the influence of compensatory strategies as well as their interaction with biomechanical factors on joint integrity (i.e., the preservation of joint integrity could be represented as the result of optimal distribution of loads on joint contact surfaces) during functional tasks (e.g., stair ascent and descent, sit-to-stand transition).