Hip abductor strength-based exercise therapy in treating women with moderate-to-severe knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether hip abductor strength-based exercise therapy could result in further function improvement and more pain relief in women with knee osteoarthritis.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial.

SETTINGS

Rehabilitation department of Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from years 2016 to 2018.

SUBJECTS

In total, 82 women aged 50-70 years, with knee osteoarthritis grade II-IV on the Kellgren-Lawrence scale.

INTERVENTION

The experimental group engaged in hip abductor strength-based exercises under the supervision of physical therapists (once a day for six weeks), while the control group engaged in quadriceps femoris strength-based exercises.

MAIN MEASURES

Osteoarthritis severity measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, pain on a visual analogue scale and three objective functional tests were assessed at the sixth and 12th week. Repeated measures analysis of variance and multivariable analysis were applied.

RESULTS

Finally, 72 participants completed the study: 35 in the experimental group and 37 in the control group. The self-reported functional difficulties score in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group both at the sixth week and at the 12th week ( < 0.001). There were significant differences between groups in the stair ascent/descent task and Figure of 8 Walk test, but not in the Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test. The pain in the experimental group decreased compared with that in the control group at the sixth week ( < 0.05), but not at the 12th week ( > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Hip abductor strength-based exercises could result in better performance and higher self-reported function in women with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.