Abstract
Background and Objectives: Muscle strengthening exercise is suggested to beneficial for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and electrical muscular stimulation is reported to be effective in improvement of muscle strength. This study examined whether isometric exercise combined with whole body-electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) can improve serum cytokine levels, muscle strength, and knee function in elderly women with early knee OA.Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled study included 75 participants assigned into three groups: the control group (CON), isometric exercise group (ISOM), and isometric exercise and electromyostimulation group (ISOM + EMS). The two exercise groups performed their respective programs for 8 weeks, 3 days a week, 30 min a day. The main exercises for both groups were performed continuously during the 20 min in an alternation of a 6-s contraction with a 4-s break. At pre- and post-intervention, anthropometric variables, muscle strength, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and blood sampling for biomarkers including interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, C-reactive protein, and resistin were performed.Results: All variables at pre-intervention showed no significant differences among the three groups. However, there were significant differences between groups for body composition, muscle strength, KOOS subscale scores, and biomarkers. ISOM + EMS group resulted in a significant reduction in body weight, fat mass, fat percentage, inflammatory cytokine levels, and increased muscle strength. An ISOM + EMS group had the best KOOS score among all groups.Conclusion: Isometric exercise combined with WB-EMS resulted in the best overall improvements in knee function and alleviating the pain and symptoms of patients with early knee OA. Further, reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines were observed. These non-pharmacologic, non-invasive interventions should be considered by healthcare specialists for elderly patients with early knee OA.
Highlights
Knee osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative joint disease, is predicted that the number of people affected with knee OA will continue to increase because of the aging of the population and the obesity epidemic (Heidari, 2011; Lespasio et al, 2017)
All values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation. † was analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test for comparison of change over time. ‡ was analyzed using ranked analysis of ranked covariance (ANCOVA) for comparison of variables between groups (CON, ISOM and ISOM + EMS) with the scores of baseline as covariate. *, **, and *** represent p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively
We examined whether the eight-week isometric exercise combined with whole body-EMS (WB-EMS) improves serum
Summary
Knee osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative joint disease, is predicted that the number of people affected with knee OA will continue to increase because of the aging of the population and the obesity epidemic (Heidari, 2011; Lespasio et al, 2017). The pathophysiology of OA remains poorly understood, it has been reported that multifactorial factors such as genetics, age, obesity, smoking, joint injury, and metabolic dysfunction are involved in knee OA (Sandell, 2012; Lespasio et al, 2017). Modifiable risk factors, such as obesity and smoking, can be targeted for treatment (Lespasio et al, 2017). Muscle strengthening exercise is suggested to beneficial for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and electrical muscular stimulation is reported to be effective in improvement of muscle strength. This study examined whether isometric exercise combined with whole body-electromyostimulation (WBEMS) can improve serum cytokine levels, muscle strength, and knee function in elderly women with early knee OA
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