Relationships Among Severity of Osteonecrosis, Pain, Range of Motion, and Functional Mobility in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background And Purpose: Up to 38% of children receiving treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) develop osteonecrosis, often without symptoms. Little is known about the association between the degree of osteonecrosis and functional mobility in this population. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships among the degree of osteonecrosis, pain, range of motion (ROM), and functional mobility in people with ALL.

Subjects: Thirty-three subjects aged 5 to 27 years with ALL and osteonecrosis participated.

Methods: The extent of osteonecrosis was determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hip and knee according to 2 classification systems, including the Association Research Circulation Osseous (ARCO) and a knee staging scale. Pain, hip and knee ROM, and the Timed Up and Down Stairs (TUDS) Test were used as measures.

Results: Correlations were observed between ARCO and hip pain (r=.34), between hip flexion ROM and hip pain (r=-.34), and between knee pain and time on the TUDS Test (r=-.35).

Discussion And Conclusion: Physical therapists should consider that people with ALL may have hip or knee osteonecrosis without clinical symptoms. This notion supports the need for MRI in addition to a comprehensive examination of functional mobility.