Buckling Knees affect even the healthy

People who have arthritis or who have had knee surgery often have a knee give way without warning. But researchers reported in a recent study that sudden buckling was fairly common even among people with no known knee problems. Writing in The Annals of internal medicine, the researchers said a study of more than 2,300 people middle age and older found that 12 percent had knee buckles in the previous three months. And more than one out of ten times, the buckling led to falls. In most cases, the problem occurred as people walked or went up or down stairs. So shifting weight appears to play a role, said the researcher. In people with arthritis, the tendency towards knee buckling and falls may explain why they are at higher risk for fractured hips, even when their hip bone density is not a problem, the study said.