The Effect of Balance Exercises on Knee Instability and Pain Intensity in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis :A Randomized Clinical Trial
Author(s): Ahmad Reza Askary Ashtiani, Narges Jahantigh Akbari, Mehdi Mohammadi, Salman Nouraisarjou
Abstract
Knee instability is considered as a common symptom in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis and knee pain. The objective of current research is to examine the effect of balance exercises on knee instability and pain intensity in patients with knee osteoarthritis. in this one-blind randomized controlled clinical trial, 30 patients with knee osteoarthritis were selected using simple and convenient sampling method, and they were divided into two groups, including balance exercises group and control group. The treatment program in the balance exercises group included balance exercises, and in the control group, it included ultrasound, TENS(Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), and hot pack. Knee instability was measured according to the evidence of buckling, shifting or giving way through a questionnaire, and the pain intensity was measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) in two periods of before and after treatment. Treatments in both groups lasted for 3 weeks and five times per week. Independent t-test and paired t-test were used for analyzing the data. The mean score of pain and knee instability in the balance group improved from 6.53± 2.32 to 4.60 ± 1.91 (P = 0.00) and from 1.80 ± 0.94 to 2.93 ± 0.79 (P = 0.00), respectively. The mean score of pain and knee instability in the control group improved from7.46± 1.92 to 5.40± 2.09(P=0.00) and from 1.40 ± 0.73 to 2.13 ± 1.06 (P = 0.01), respectively. Significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of mean score of knee instability (P <0.05). Inter-group comparison revealed significant difference between balance exercises group and the control group in terms of impact on mean score of knee instability. Intra-group comparison also revealed that mean score of pain and knee stability improved in both of the balance exercises group and control group.
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