Open AccessBlood Flow Restricted Walking in Elderly Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Feasibility Study
Author(s) -
Naaja Petersson,
Stian Langgård Jørgensen,
Troels Kjeldsen,
Inger Mechlenburg,
Per Aagaard
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of rehabilitation medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.893
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1651-2081
pISSN - 1650-1977
DOI - 10.2340/jrm.v54.2163
Subject(s) - osteoarthritis , medicine , physical therapy , physical medicine and rehabilitation , knee pain , gait , timed up and go test , preferred walking speed , stair climbing , body mass index , knee joint , balance (ability) , surgery , alternative medicine , pathology
Objective: To investigate if blood flow restricted walking exercise is feasible in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis, and secondly to examine changes in functional performance and self-reported function.
Design: Feasibility study.
Patients and methods: Fourteen elderly individuals diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis participated in 8-10 weeks of outdoor walking (4 km/h, 20 minutes/session, 4 times/week) with partial blood flow restriction applied to the affected leg. Adherence, drop-outs and adverse events were registered. Timed-Up&Go, 30-s sit-to-stand performance, 40-m fast-paced walk speed, stair-climbing and Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score were assessed pre- and post-training.
Results: Nine participants completed the intervention, while five participants withdrew of which four experienced cuff discomfort or exacerbated knee pain. Baseline BMI (p=0.05) and knee pain (p=0.06) were higher while gait performance (p=0.04) was reduced in non-completing participants. Considering completed case data, training-adherence rate was 93%, while mean knee pain in the affected leg was 0.7 on a numerical rating scale from 0-10. Functional performance improved, while self-reported function remained unchanged.
Conclusion: Blood flow restricted walking exercise appeared feasible in patients with knee osteoarthritis although possibly affected by participants’ baseline characteristics. Participants who completed the intervention protocol demonstrated improvements in functional performance, without any changes in self-reported function.