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Effects of Exercise Versus Topical Agents on Knee Osteoarthritis

The Comparison of the Effectiveness of Exercise and Topical Agent Treatments in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05827003
Enrollment
79
Registered
2023-04-24
Start date
2024-04-15
Completion date
2025-06-15
Last updated
2025-09-04

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Osteo Arthritis Knee

Keywords

Diclofenac, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Physiotherapy, Gonarthrosis

Brief summary

Osteoarthritis, a chronic and degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of arthritis and affects more than 300 million adults worldwide. Osteoarthritis, which is characterized by joint pain and stiffness, has negative consequences for function, participation and quality of life, which are important components of health. The knee joint is the most common joint in terms of osteoarthritis and is more common in individuals over 50 years of age. There is no proven definitive treatment in today's literature for common osteoarthritis, which is one of the important causes of the global disease burden. However, since it is a progressive disease with varying degrees of severity, it is a chronic problem that requires long-term treatment. According to current clinical guidelines prepared by the working groups of the International Osteoarthritis Research Society (OARSI) and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases ESCEO , treatment typically includes physiotherapy interventions with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics, including intra-articular injections of corticosteroids; In more severe cases, joint replacement surgery is recommended. The aim of this research project is to examine the effectiveness of a supervised exercise program applied in combination with NSAID-specific topical agents, in comparison with groups receiving only topical agents or only exercise treatments.

Detailed description

Voluntary participants who have been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis will be included in the study. Signed voluntary consent will be obtained from participants. Participants will be divided into tree groups. Study groups will be as follows: a) exercise, b) exercise & topical agent, c) topical agent.

Interventions

OTHERExercise

Supervised exercise program with a physiotherapist for 6 weeks, two days a week

OTHERExercise&Topical Agent

Diclofenac gel application to the knee joint twice a day, four days a week, in addition to a supervised exercise program under the supervision of a physiotherapist for 6 weeks.

Application of diclofenac gel to the knee joint twice a day, four days a week, for 6 weeks

Sponsors

Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)

Masking description

The assessor will not know which participant received which intervention.

Intervention model description

There will be an equal number of participants in the three groups randomized by the computer.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosed with knee OA according to the criteria of the American Society of Rheumatology * Stage 2 or 3 according to Kellgren Lawrence radiological staging criteria * Those between the ages of 40 and 65 * Body mass index below 30 kg/m2 * Pain intensity defined by the patient in the last 3 months is at least 3 out of 10 according to NPRS * Patients who do not have any obstacles to be included in the exercise program

Exclusion criteria

* Using viscosupplementation or steroid injection or systemic steroids in the related knee in the last 3 months * To have received a physiotherapy program for the relevant knee in the last 3 months * Having a valgus or varus deformity greater than 15° * Presence of active infection or tumor * Presence of neurological diseases and/or deformity leading to lower extremity muscle weakness * Having serious systemic and cardiovascular diseases that interfere with exercise

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change of Pain via Numeric Pain Rating Scalechange from baseline pain at 6 monthsOn this scale, 0 indicates the absence of pain, and 10 indicates the most severe pain imaginable (17). Patients will be asked to rate the severity of their knee pain with a number between 0 and 10 using this scale. The minimum clinically significant difference value (MCID) of this valid and reliable pain scale is 1.74 points.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
40 meters fast walking test4 times for 24 weeksFor 40mHYT, patients will be asked to walk as fast as possible on a flat and hard surface, on a 10-meter marked walking path. Walking time will be measured in seconds with a stopwatch. The test will be repeated three times and the arithmetic mean of these measurements will be recorded as the result value. Considering the age range of the patients, it was planned to allow a one-minute rest period between retests.
Stepping Test4 times for 24 weeksPatients will be asked to climb 10 pre-marked 20 cm high steps as quickly as possible on a standard ladder. The test time will be measured in seconds with a stopwatch. The test will be repeated 3 times and the average value will be recorded in seconds. Similarly, in this evaluation, patients were given a one-minute rest period between 3 repetitions of the test.
WOMAC4 times for 24 weeksWOMAC assesses the level of difficulty, pain and joint stiffness experienced by the patients during their physical functions. WOMAC score is a 5-point Likert-type scale, high scores indicate poor status and consist of a total of 24 questions.
Health-Related Quality of Life Short Form (SF-12) Scale4 times for 24 weeksSF-12 is the abbreviated version of the SF36 Quality of Life Scale and is frequently preferred for ease of use. It has 2 components, physical and mental, scored between 0 and 50. A high score from the score indicates health-related well-being and increased quality of life, while a decrease indicates worsening.
Global Rating of Change Scale-GRC3 times for 24 weeksIt will be used to evaluate patient satisfaction. It is designed to determine the amount of improvement or worsening of the patient over time. In our study, GRC consisting of 5 levels between -2 and +2 value ranges (-2: I am much worse, -1: I am worse, 0: I am the same, 1: I am better, 2: I am much better) was preferred.
Joint Range of Motion Evaluation4 times for 24 weeksDuring the assessments, three repeat measurements will be made using an electronic goniometer. For goniometric measurement, the pivot point will be placed on the lateral condyle of the femur. The fixed arm will be held parallel to the lateral midline of the femur. The movable arm will follow the movement of the fibula.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026