A randomized controlled trial of two exercise protocols on pain, function, and vastus medialis thickness in women with knee osteoarthritis

• Published in: Journal of pain management Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. 133 - 144
• Main Authors: Moezy, Azar, Kavand, Sahar, Angoorani, Hooman, Nazari, Ahmad, Masoudi, Soheila
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hauppauge Nova Science Publishers, Inc 01.04.2021
• Subjects: Arthritis; Cartilage; Exercise; Intervention; Knee; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Ultrasonic imaging; Womens health
• ISSN: 1939-5914

To investigate the short-term effects of two exercise protocols on pain, function, thigh girth, and the thickness of vastus medialis (VM), vastus medialis oblique (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). In a parallel group randomized clinical trial, 65 women (aged between 50 and 75 years) with proven knee OA grade two or three according to the Kellgren Lawrence criteria were included and randomly assigned to one of two exercise-therapy groups; experimental exercise-therapy to allow for further VM activation (EET) (33 patients) and conventional exercise-therapy (CET) (32 patients) for strengthening the entire quadriceps femoris and all received 12 supervised exercise sessions. Pain (VAS), active flexion range of motion (FROM), thigh girth (TG), timed up and go test (TUG), six-minute walk test (6MWT) and the thickness of VM, VMO, and VL by ultrasonography was measured at baseline and post intervention. After the intervention, significant differences in VAS (P = 0.002), TG (P = 0.01), TUG (P < 0.001), 6MWT (P < 0.001), VM (P < 0.001), and VMO muscle thickness (P < 0.001) was obtained between the groups. The findings showed that EET has contributed to a decrease in pain, an increase in VM and VMO thickness, an increase in TG, and an improvement in the function of the patients with knee OA compared to CET.