Atan Tuğba, Bildik Yunus Emre, Demir Yasin, Güzelküçük Ümüt, Tan Arif Kenan
University of Health Sciences, Gaziler Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Health Sciences, Gulhane Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Türkiye.
Ir J Med Sci. 2025 Feb;194(1):125-136. doi: 10.1007/s11845-024-03836-w. Epub 2024 Nov 1.
Aerobic exercise is recommended to alleviate pain and protect the joint for patients with advanced knee osteoarthritis, however, its clinical implementation is challenging due to the potential for exacerbating pain.
The study aimed to compare the effects of anti-gravity treadmill training with traditional treadmill training in patients with advanced knee osteoarthritis.
This single-blinded randomized-controlled trial included 30 women with knee osteoarthritis. All participants received hotpack, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and therapeutic ultrasound. Additionally, group 1 received anti-gravity treadmill, while group 2 received traditional treadmill training. Group 3 served as the control. The interventions were administered three-times a week for eight-weeks. The visual analogue scale (VAS) pain, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), six-minute-walk-test distance (6MWD), and femoral cartilage thickness were evaluated at baseline and weeks 4 and 8.
VAS-pain significantly reduced over time in both anti-gravity (P < 0.001) and control (P = 0.004) groups. The anti-gravity group also showed significant improvements in WOMAC-pain (P = 0.008), WOMAC-total (P = 0.048), and 6MWD (P < 0.001). Post-hoc analysis indicated significant time (P < 0.001, effect size, ηp2 = 0.682) and interaction (P = 0.006, ηp2 = 0.271) effects on VAS, with no significant between-group differences. Femoral cartilage thickness showed no significant between-group differences, except within-group differences in the treadmill group (P = 0.037).
Anti-gravity treadmill training significantly improved pain, functionality, and functional capacity in patients with knee osteoarthritis, while traditional treadmill resulted in a reduction in femoral cartilage thickness. Further research should investigate long-term outcomes and more diverse populations.
NCT05319964.
对于晚期膝关节骨关节炎患者，建议进行有氧运动以减轻疼痛并保护关节，然而，由于可能会加剧疼痛，其临床应用具有挑战性。
本研究旨在比较抗重力跑步机训练与传统跑步机训练对晚期膝关节骨关节炎患者的效果。
这项单盲随机对照试验纳入了30名膝关节骨关节炎女性患者。所有参与者均接受热敷、经皮神经电刺激和超声治疗。此外，第1组接受抗重力跑步机训练，第2组接受传统跑步机训练。第3组作为对照组。干预措施每周进行3次，共8周。在基线、第4周和第8周评估视觉模拟量表（VAS）疼痛评分、西安大略和麦克马斯特大学骨关节炎指数（WOMAC）、6分钟步行试验距离（6MWD）以及股骨软骨厚度。
抗重力组（P < 0.001）和对照组（P = 0.004）的VAS疼痛评分均随时间显著降低。抗重力组在WOMAC疼痛评分（P = 0.008）、WOMAC总分（P = 0.048）和6MWD（P < 0.001）方面也有显著改善。事后分析表明，时间（P < 0.001，效应量，ηp2 = 0.682）和交互作用（P = 0.006，ηp2 = 0.271）对VAS有显著影响，组间差异不显著。股骨软骨厚度组间差异不显著，但跑步机训练组内有差异（P = 0.037）。
抗重力跑步机训练显著改善了膝关节骨关节炎患者的疼痛、功能和功能能力，而传统跑步机训练导致股骨软骨厚度降低。进一步的研究应调查长期结果和更广泛的人群。
NCT05319964。
