AB1362-HPR THE EFFECTS OF 4 – WEEK REHABILITATION PROGRAM ON PATIENT OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Abstract

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and a major cause of pain and disability in older adults (1). Older adults with knee OA report lower physical functioning and increased difficulty in performing activities of daily living compared with older adults without knee OA (2). Knee OA treatment aims to improve physical functions, quality of life, prevent disability, and decrease pain. Therapeutic exercises and physiotherapy treatment applications are recommended for the patients with knee OA (3). Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 4 week physiotherapy and rehabilitation program on range of motion, balance, knee swelling, and activities of daily life, quality of life, and functional status in patients with knee osteoarthritis. It was hypothesized that 4 week rehabilitation program might provide improvements in measurements of the patient outcomes in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods Twenty-seven healthy subjects were participated in the study. Subjects had no surgery history of lower extremity. Range of motion, balance, knee swelling, activities of daily life, quality of life, and functional status were assessed by Goniometer, Berg Balance Test, Tape measure, Barthel Index, WHOQL Scale, WOMAC Scale, respectively. The physiotherapy and rehabilitation program started after the first assessment and was applied as 20 sessions for a total of four weeks, five sessions per week. All of the assessments procedures were performed again after the treatment. Results There were statistically significant improvements in measures of range of motion, balance, knee swelling, and functional status between pre- and post treatment (p 0.05). Conclusion Based on our findings, short-term effects of physiotherapy and rehabilitation program may be beneficial on range of motion, balance, knee swelling, and functional status in patients with knee osteoarthritis. However, 4-week rehabilitation program has no effect on activities of daily life and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis.