Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Morphological Characteristics of Healthy and Osteoarthritic Joint Surfaces in Archaeological Skeletons

Plomp, K.A.; Roberts, C.A.; Strand Viðarsdόttir, U.

Morphological Characteristics of Healthy and Osteoarthritic Joint Surfaces in Archaeological Skeletons Thumbnail


Authors

K.A. Plomp

U. Strand Viðarsdόttir



Contributors

U Strand Vidarsdottir dan0us@durham.ac.uk
Other

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a major health concern in living populations, as well as being one of the most common pathological lesions identified in the archaeological record. The aetiology of the disease remains unclear, with a multi-factorial influence of physical strain, age, genetics, and obesity. Previous studies have identified a relationship between the presence of knee osteoarthritis on the distal femoral joint and the morphology of the intercondylar notch, patellar groove, and medial condyle. The current study expands this research to investigate the relationship between distal femoral, distal humeral, and proximal ulnar joint morphology and osteoarthritis with 3D shape analysis techniques. These methods provide a more detailed analysis of joint morphology in order to determine any relationship between 3D shape and osteoarthritis. The results indicate a complex relationship between joint shape and knee osteoarthritis, with eburnated right femora showing a statistically significant association. The shapes associated with eburnated or affected femoral joints can be explained by osteophyte development, and therefore likely represent systematic shape changes and not a particular joint shape predisposing individuals to the condition. There was no identifiable relationship found in the proximal ulna or distal humerus, indicating that joint shape is unlikely to influence the development of the condition in the elbow joint and that any shape changes produced by osteoarthritis are not systematic or quantifiable. The joints analysed in this study were highly influenced by asymmetry, sexual dimorphism, and allometry, resulting in a small sample size of affected joints in many datasets. Further analyses of large skeletal samples are needed to more thoroughly investigate the possible relationship of distal femoral joint shape and osteoarthritis.

Citation

Plomp, K., Roberts, C., & Strand Viðarsdόttir, U. (2015). Morphological Characteristics of Healthy and Osteoarthritic Joint Surfaces in Archaeological Skeletons. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 25(4), 515-527. https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2319

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 27, 2013
Online Publication Date Apr 19, 2013
Publication Date Jul 1, 2015
Deposit Date May 29, 2013
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Print ISSN 1047-482X
Electronic ISSN 1099-1212
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 25
Issue 4
Pages 515-527
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2319
Keywords Eburnation, Geometric morphometrics, Osteophytes, Shape analysis.

Files

Accepted Journal Article (973 Kb)
PDF

Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: Plomp, K. A., Roberts, C. A. and Strand Viðarsdόttir, U. (2013), Morphological Characteristics of Healthy and Osteoarthritic Joint Surfaces in Archaeological Skeletons. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 25(4): 515-527, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/oa.2319. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.





You might also like



Downloadable Citations