Low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction versus traditional training exercises in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a disabling condition and results in impaired quality of life. Strength training is an important treatment for patients with knee OA. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of low load resistance training (LLR) accompanied by blood flow restriction (BFR) training compared to conventional high load resistance training (HLR) on quadriceps muscular strength, proprioceptive accuracy, and function of the knee joint. A total of 42 patients, from both sexes, with mild to moderate OA in one tibiofemoral joint and whose age ranged from 45 to 60 years old, were randomized into two groups (control and experimental). The control group (HL group) included twenty-one patients (7 men, 14 women) with a mean age of 49.57±4.37 who received the conventional training program (high load resistance training). The experimental group (BFR group) included twenty-one patients (5 men, 16 women) with a mean age of 48.61±3.8 who received LLRT with BFR. Quadriceps muscle strength was evaluated using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD), knee joint function was assessed using the WOMAC questionnaire, and proprioception was assessed with a digital inclinometer. The results revealed a statistically significant improvement in mean WOMAC, HDD, and proprioception values assessed post-treatment in both groups compared to the corresponding mean values pre-treatment (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups on the examined dependent variables at baseline (p > 0.05). Conventional HLR and LLR-BFR training are efficient in managing knee OA by improving quadriceps muscle strength, enhancing the function of the knee joint, and proprioceptive accuracy. Following 4 weeks of treatment, the BFR group had lesser WOMAC and proprioception mean values and greater HHD mean values than the HL group.