Comparative Effects of High and Low Intensity Progress Resisted Exercises on Pain, Range of Motion and Functional Disability in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients with Sarcopenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis is the most common kind of arthritis, affecting millions of people. It develops because of the slow loss of the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones over time. Although osteoarthritis may affect any joint, it is most often connected with joints in the hands, knees, hips, and spine. Objective: To compare the effects of high and low intensity progressive resisted exercises on pain, range of motion and functional disability in knee osteoarthritis patients with sarcopenia. Methods: It was a Randomized Controlled Trial. Data was collected from University of Lahore Teaching Hospital, physical therapy department. Group A- High Intensity Program and Group B- Low Intensity Program each had 42 patients in them. They were all male and female, between the ages of 35 and 65, and had osteoarthritis of different grades, according to Kallgren and Lawrence. The SARC-F questionnaire was used to find out if people had sarcopenia. The outcome measures were pain, functional disability, as well as range of motion. Results: Group A had a mean age of 58.47 years (SD = 4.22) and a mean symptom duration of 3.47 (SD = 1.82). In contrast, Group B had a slightly higher mean age of 58.8 years (SD = 3.11) and a mean symptom duration of 3.04 (SD = 1.68). At baseline, no significant differences were seen between Group A and Group B in terms of knee range of motion, KOOS pain, KOOS function, and KOOS quality of life. However, after 8 weeks, all variables showed significant differences (p>0.05) except for knee flexion (p>0.05). Conclusion: Low-intensity exercises showed greater improvements in pain, functional disability, quality of life, and range of motion compared to the high-intensity group among knee osteoarthritis patients with sarcopenia. Notably, knee flexion exhibited superior enhancement within the high-intensity exercise regimen.