Alghadir Ahmad H, Iqbal Zaheen A, Iqbal Amir
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, PO Box. 10219, Riyadh, 11433, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Dec 5;24(1):3379. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20923-w.
The knowledge and utilization of manual therapy in treating knee osteoarthritis (OA) may help explain the effective utilization of manual therapy for managing knee OA. Little is known about the knowledge and utilization of manual therapy in the management of knee OA by physical therapists (PTs) in Saudi Arabia. The present study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and utilization of manual therapy by PTs in Saudi Arabia via a survey method.
A cross-sectional study design was used. PTs working in various hospitals in Saudi Arabia participated. A 29-item questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. One hundred ninety-seven participants returned the completed questionnaire (response rate, 78.8%). Descriptive statistics were utilized to summarize and present the study participants' characteristics and responses.
Approximately one-third (35.2%) of the participants did not receive any formal manual therapy training, whereas the others received formal manual therapy training in undergraduate (23.8%) or postgraduate (40.9%) studies. Only approximately one-third of the participants (29.9%) were qualified as certified manual therapy practitioners. Most participants (57%) reported using manual therapy according to the patient's condition. Most of the participants cited several treatment goals for manual therapy, including pain reduction (84.8%), improved range of motion (77.2%), increased mobility (58.2%), and improved function (55.4%).
PTs in Saudi Arabia showed a positive attitude toward using manual therapy for treating knee OA. However, they suggested combining exercise and manual therapy as the best treatment option for knee OA.
Not applicable.
手法治疗在膝关节骨关节炎（OA）治疗中的知识与应用有助于解释手法治疗在膝关节OA管理中的有效利用情况。关于沙特阿拉伯物理治疗师（PT）在膝关节OA管理中对手法治疗的知识与应用了解甚少。本研究旨在通过调查方法评估沙特阿拉伯PT对手法治疗的知识与应用情况。
采用横断面研究设计。沙特阿拉伯各医院工作的PT参与研究。基于以往研究制定了一份包含29个条目的问卷。197名参与者返回了完整问卷（回复率为78.8%）。采用描述性统计来总结和呈现研究参与者的特征及回答。
约三分之一（35.2%）的参与者未接受任何正规的手法治疗培训，而其他参与者在本科（23.8%）或研究生（40.9%）学习中接受过正规的手法治疗培训。只有约三分之一的参与者（29.9%）具备认证手法治疗从业者资格。大多数参与者（57%）报告根据患者病情使用手法治疗。大多数参与者列举了手法治疗的几个治疗目标，包括减轻疼痛（84.8%）、改善活动范围（77.2%）、增加活动能力（58.2%）和改善功能（55.4%）。
沙特阿拉伯的PT对手法治疗膝关节OA表现出积极态度。然而，他们建议将运动和手法治疗结合作为膝关节OA的最佳治疗选择。
不适用。
