Shukla Y1, Bhise A1, Mahajan R1
1Government Physiotherapy College, Physiotherapy, Ahmedabad, India
Background: Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative joint disease or osteoarthrosis, is the most common form of arthritis and the leading source of physical disability with severely impaired quality of life. Osteoarthritis is a non-inflammatory disease characterized by progressive loss of joint articular cartilage that results in pain and deformity.
Retro-walking is considered a safe closed kinetic chain exercise since the compressive forces at the patellofemoral joint are reduced. Retro-walking reduces quadriceps eccentric function, while the isometric and concentric quadriceps strength is preserved.
Purpose: Conventional physiotherapy of osteoarthritis of knee joint includes stretching and strengthening exercise but very few studies are done about including retro walking management of osteoarthritis of knee joint. The results of the present study will enhance our understanding on the therapeutic effects of retro- walking in subjects with knee osteoarthritis.
Methods: Ethical clearance was obtained from institutional ethical committee prior to the study.47 patients were screened for the eligibility and for baseline data. 40 patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study after taking written informed consent. Inclusion criteria were unilateral osteoarthritis of knee, both male and female, age between 55 to 70 years and patient having symptoms from last 6 months. Exclusion criteria are any neurological and vestibular disorder, any musculoskeletal disorder and surgery of hip, knee and ankle.
Study design: An interventional study.
Study duration: Each patient was treated for a period of 4 weeks and 3 days a week.
Sampling technique: Envelope sampling.
Sample size: 40 patients. The patients were divided into two groups control and interventional group.
Group A: control group: Patients were given conventional treatment of knee osteoarthritis which included short wave diathermy, quadriceps setting exercise, terminal knee extension, straight leg raise, hip abductor strengthening, quadriceps strengthening, hamstrings curls, hamstring and gastrocnemius stretching and partial squats.
Group B: interventional group: The participants will undergo a supervised 10minutes retro-walking training with on flat surface at their comfortable speed along with a conventional physiotherapy.
Results: Wilcoxon Signed Ranked test was applied for the analysis of pre and post treatment outcome measures within groups, whereas Mann-Whitney U test was applied for between group analysis. The confidence interval was set at 95% and p 0.05 was considered significant
Results shows that retro walking training along with conventional treatment is more effective than conventional treatment alone on reducing pain (NPRS) and improving function (WOMAC) in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Conclusion(s): The present study concluded that retro walking training along with conventional physiotherapy helps in reducing pain and improving function in patients with osteoarthritis of knee.
Implications: Walking is one of the most common movements all performance. As retro walking can be done without any equipment, facilities or other expenses, it can be easily administered in routine settings in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Keywords: Knee osteoarthritis, Retro-walking, WOMAC
Funding acknowledgements: Unfunded
Retro-walking is considered a safe closed kinetic chain exercise since the compressive forces at the patellofemoral joint are reduced. Retro-walking reduces quadriceps eccentric function, while the isometric and concentric quadriceps strength is preserved.
Purpose: Conventional physiotherapy of osteoarthritis of knee joint includes stretching and strengthening exercise but very few studies are done about including retro walking management of osteoarthritis of knee joint. The results of the present study will enhance our understanding on the therapeutic effects of retro- walking in subjects with knee osteoarthritis.
Methods: Ethical clearance was obtained from institutional ethical committee prior to the study.47 patients were screened for the eligibility and for baseline data. 40 patients who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study after taking written informed consent. Inclusion criteria were unilateral osteoarthritis of knee, both male and female, age between 55 to 70 years and patient having symptoms from last 6 months. Exclusion criteria are any neurological and vestibular disorder, any musculoskeletal disorder and surgery of hip, knee and ankle.
Study design: An interventional study.
Study duration: Each patient was treated for a period of 4 weeks and 3 days a week.
Sampling technique: Envelope sampling.
Sample size: 40 patients. The patients were divided into two groups control and interventional group.
Group A: control group: Patients were given conventional treatment of knee osteoarthritis which included short wave diathermy, quadriceps setting exercise, terminal knee extension, straight leg raise, hip abductor strengthening, quadriceps strengthening, hamstrings curls, hamstring and gastrocnemius stretching and partial squats.
Group B: interventional group: The participants will undergo a supervised 10minutes retro-walking training with on flat surface at their comfortable speed along with a conventional physiotherapy.
Results: Wilcoxon Signed Ranked test was applied for the analysis of pre and post treatment outcome measures within groups, whereas Mann-Whitney U test was applied for between group analysis. The confidence interval was set at 95% and p 0.05 was considered significant
Results shows that retro walking training along with conventional treatment is more effective than conventional treatment alone on reducing pain (NPRS) and improving function (WOMAC) in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Conclusion(s): The present study concluded that retro walking training along with conventional physiotherapy helps in reducing pain and improving function in patients with osteoarthritis of knee.
Implications: Walking is one of the most common movements all performance. As retro walking can be done without any equipment, facilities or other expenses, it can be easily administered in routine settings in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Keywords: Knee osteoarthritis, Retro-walking, WOMAC
Funding acknowledgements: Unfunded
Topic: Musculoskeletal: lower limb; Pain & pain management
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Government Spine Institute
Ethics committee: Institutional Sub-committee of Institutional Ethics Committee, Civil Hospital
Ethics number: GSIIESC/20/2016
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
