Open AccessIsometric exercise, acupuncture, and magnet therapy for knee osteoarthritis: randomized clinical trial
Author(s) -
Faezeh Hakimi,
Mahsa Asheghan,
Seyed Ebrahim Hashemi
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
rehabilitacja medyczna
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.108
H-Index - 7
eISSN - 1896-3250
pISSN - 1427-9622
DOI - 10.5604/01.3001.0013.3766
Subject(s) - medicine , osteoarthritis , physical therapy , acupuncture , isometric exercise , randomized controlled trial , rehabilitation , population , clinical trial , visual analogue scale , outpatient clinic , knee pain , physical medicine and rehabilitation , surgery , alternative medicine , pathology , environmental health
Knee osteoarthritis is a common disease, particularly in the elderly population. Degenerative disorders of the cartilage cause pain and stiffness in the knee joint. As a result, patients frequently experience limitation in their daily activities.Purpose: To compare the effects of exercise, acupuncture, and magnet therapy on symptoms and physical function among middle-aged and elderly people with knee osteoarthritis.Materials and methods: We carried out a parallel three-arm randomized clinical trial in an outpatient clinic of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at a University Hospital. In total, 60 female patients of age ≥ 40 years with chronic knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to one of three groups of isometric exercise, acupuncture, and magnet therapy. The primary outcome measure was subjective pain rated according to the Visual Analog Scale. We also used the Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index for assessing and monitoring the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis in order to evaluate the efficacy of the interventions. An isometric exercise program was prescribed, consisting of three sessions per week for six weeks. Participants in the acupuncture group received three treatment sessions per week for six weeks, each lasting for 30 minutes. For pulsed electro-magnetic field therapy, a total of three 30-minute sessions per week for a period of 6 weeks were administered to each patient.Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the study groups in terms of the outcome measures (all p values > 0.05). However, within-group analyses showed that there were significant differences regarding the clinical outcomes in each group (all p values < 0.05).Conclusion: All three therapeutic modalities are effective and could be used as the first line of treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Moreover, it should be noted that the favorable outcomes remained at least two months after treatment concluded.