Subjects and methods
S
ubjects
Thirty-five ambulatory patients (14 men and 21 women) with knee osteoarthritis of Kellgren-Lawrence grade7 1, 2, or 3 and/or spondylosis without spinal cord or nerve root compression symptoms who visited the Takakuwa Orthopaedic Nagayama Clinic (Hokkaido, Japan) between September 2012 and May 2013 were recruited. The inclusion criteria were age older than 60 years and the ability to measure the parameters described below. Exclusion criteria were use of vitamin D3 for osteoporosis,8 severe gait disturbance requiring an ambulatory aid, a severely rounded back because of osteoporotic vertebral fractures, an acute disease phase, and severe cardiovascular disease. Of 35 patients who were screened, 28 (80.0%, 12 men and 16 women, mean age 72.4 years) participated in the trial.