Effects of core exercises on knee pain, disability, proprioception, and quadriceps strength in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Aim. This pretest-posttest controlled study investigated the effects of core exercises on knee pain, disability, proprioception, and quadriceps strength in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Materials and Methods. Eighty patients aged from 40-65 years with mild to moderate KOA were recruited from Cairo University hospitals. They were randomly assigned into two equal groups; group A received core exercises plus conventional exercises and group B received conventional exercises only. Sessions were done 3 times weekly for 4 weeks. Patients were evaluated, pre-and post-treatment, for knee pain (using visual analogue scale), disability (using aggregate locomotor function), proprioception (using inclinometer), and quadriceps strength (using dynamometer). Results. There were no significant differences between groups post-treatment (p-value > 0.05). There was a significant improvement in quadriceps strength in group (A&B) and pain and disability in group (A) post-treatment (p-value < 0.05). Conclusions. Adding core exercises to conventional exercises showed a trend towards significance in reducing pain and disability than conventional exercises alone in KOA. On the other hand, conventional exercises with or without core exercises improved quadriceps strength rather than proprioception. Hence, further studies on a larger sample are promising.