None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
To investigate the effects of thigh muscles strengthening on knee joint loading and to examine if the effects are different in people with and without knee malalignment (bow legs)
Interventions
Participants in the exercise group were taught five quadriceps strengthening exercises by a project physiotherapist to be performed five days a week for twelve weeks at home. The exercises were:
1. Quadriceps exercise over fulcrum using ankle weight
2. Straight leg raise exercise using ankle weight
3. Long arc knee extension exercise in sitting using ankle weight
4. Knee extension exercise with isometric hold at 60° knee flexion using ankle weight
5. Knee extension exercise with isometric hold
Participants in the exercise group were taught five quadriceps strengthening exercises by a project physiotherapist to be performed five days a week for twelve weeks at home. The exercises were: 1. Quadriceps exercise over fulcrum using ankle weight 2. Straight leg raise exercise using ankle weight 3. Long arc knee extension exercise in sitting using ankle weight 4. Knee extension exercise with isometric hold at 60° knee flexion using ankle weight 5. Knee extension exercise with isometric hold at 60° knee flexion using an elastic band. Each exercise was performed at 2x10 repetitions for the first 2 weeks and 3x10 repetitions thereafter. Participants visited the physiotherapist 7 times at Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 10. They were given the ankle weights and elastic band to bring home and instructed about the repetitions and weights to use by the physiotherapist, who also checked and progressed their exercises. The average duration of the physiotherapy sessions was 30 minutes. To monitor compliance, each participant was given an exercise instructions sheet and kept a training diary to record the exercises they had done.
Sponsors
Professor Kim Bennell
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Factorial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
50 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Tibiofemoral joint osteoarthritis in at least one knee fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria (Altman et al 1986):1. Pain in the knee; 2. Over 50 years of age and;3. Osteophytes on knee x-ray.
Exclusion criteria
1. Knee surgery within the previous 6 months;2. History of lower limb joint replacements;3. Systemic arthritic conditions such as rheumatic or psoriatic arthritis;4. Inability to walk without the use of walking aids.
Outcome results
None listed