The Effects of Progressive Resistance Strength Training on Pain, Mobility and Activities of Daily Living among Knee Osteoarthritis Patients: A randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to investigate the effects of progressive resistance strength training of lower limb rehabilitation protocol (LLRP) on pain, activities of daily living (ADL) and mobility among knee OA patients who are overweight or obese. Materials and MethodsFifty-six overweight or obese knee OA patients were included and randomly assigned to a Rehabilitation Protocol Group (RPG) or Control Group (CG). The patients in the RPG performed the progressive resistance strength training of LLRP and followed the instructions of daily care (IDC) for duration of twelve weeks at home. The patients in the CG followed the IDC (conventional treatment) only. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and after the interventions in both groups by comparing the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score for pain, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test score for mobility and Katz Index of Independence scores for ADL. ResultsThe patients in the RPG reported significant improvements in WOMAC score for pain (p = 0.001), Katz Index of Independence scores for ADL (p = 0.003) and TUG test score for mobility (p = 0.004). The patients in the CG also reported significant improvements in WOMAC score for pain (p = 0.002) and ADL (p = 0.052), but not in mobility score (p = 0.065). The improvement in the pain and ADL scores was greater in the patients of RPG than the CG with p-value of 0.001 and 0.000 respectively. ConclusionThe progressive resistance strength training of LLRP is effective in terms of reducing pain, improving mobility and ADL among knee OA patients who are overweight or obese.