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Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Manual Therapy in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Manual Therapy in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: Randomized Controlled Single-blind Clinical Study

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06329128
Enrollment
40
Registered
2024-03-25
Start date
2024-03-25
Completion date
2024-09-30
Last updated
2024-03-25

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

Conditions

Osteoarthritis, Knee

Keywords

Manual therapy, Exercise, Osteoarthritis

Brief summary

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of three different applications (Manual therapy, electrotherapy and home program) on long-term pain, joint range of motion and, secondarily, the functional level of the knee.

Detailed description

Osteoarthritis (OA); It is a chronic degenerative joint disorder characterized by joint pain, stiffness, decreased range of motion and muscle weakness. The main goal of healthcare professionals is to control the pain that increases with the gradually decreasing quality of life and to improve functions as a result. Conservative treatments include medical approaches as well as methods with demonstrated therapeutic effects such as exercise and physical activity. Exercise plays an important role in the management of chronic disabling disease. Looking at systematic reviews, there is high evidence that exercise reduces pain and improves physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Manual therapy approaches have also been used recently to inhibit movement limitation and pain in the joint, and studies showing their benefits are increasing. The American College of Rheumatology has stated that it is beneficial to add manual therapy sessions to individual exercises in rehabilitation methods for patients. In terms of physiotherapy approaches in OA, electrotherapy modalities with low evidence are used. Among these modalities, the effects of TENS and Ultrasound are the most studied applications. Although the effects of TENS compared to placebo have been shown, there are also opposite results regarding TENS and ultrasound applications. There are many studies in the literature comparing types of manual therapy and investigating their combination with exercise. Some studies have demonstrated the effects of combining exercise treatments with a manual therapy program in improving pain and function. A recent study showed that patients who participated in an MT program had improved functional level compared to those who did not receive MT, but exercise therapy alone was superior in improving performance-based functional scores. A few studies comparing manual therapy with electrotherapy have been conducted recently. In this study, TENS and cold application were shown to be ineffective in improving pain, joint stiffness and physical functions compared to manual therapy in patients with OA. While manual therapy can reduce pain in OA thanks to its neurophysiological effects, it also aims to correct the changed arthrokinematics by restoring the optimal kinematics between joint accessory mobility and joint surfaces. Taylor et al. showed that the combination of exercise and extension mobilization applied in a single session can reduce end-range rotational stiffness. However, in the applications, comparisons are made between manual therapy and exercise combination or manual therapy and electrotherapy modalities. To our knowledge, there is no study in the literature comparing three different applications. Therefore, we hypothesized that manual therapy would be more effective than electrotherapy modalities and a home program in the long term in patients with knee OA. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of three different applications (Manual therapy, electrotherapy and home program) on long-term pain, joint range of motion and, secondarily, the functional level of the knee.

Interventions

OTHERExperimental: Study Group

A 15-session (5 days a week / 3 weeks) physiotherapy and rehabilitation (electrotherapy and home program) program will be applied to both groups. Electrotherapy application; It will consist of Hotpack (15 minutes), TENS (20 minutes), Ultrasound (10 minutes) applications. For the home program, a program consisting of isometric and isotonic exercises will be given to the muscles around the knee. The home program will be followed with an exercise diary. In the manual therapy group, in addition to the above treatment, manual therapy will be given 3 days a week. The content of the manual therapy program is as follows; * Patellofemoral joint superior-inferior mobilization * Medial-lateral mobilization with active knee flexion * Tibiofemoral joint ventral (anterior-posterior) mobilization * Tibiofemoral traction mobilization

A 15-session (5 days a week / 3 weeks) physiotherapy and rehabilitation (electrotherapy and home program) program will be applied to both groups. Electrotherapy application; It will consist of Hotpack (15 minutes), TENS (20 minutes), Ultrasound (10 minutes) applications. For the home program, a program consisting of isometric and isotonic exercises will be given to the muscles around the knee. The home program will be followed with an exercise diary.

Sponsors

Hasan Kalyoncu University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

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

Intervention model description

Participants were divided in two groups. One groups will get electrotherapy, exercise(home programme) and manuel therapy intervention. One group will be the control group. Control group will get electrotherapy and exercise (home programme).

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis according to the clinical and radiological diagnostic criteria of the American College of Rheumatology * Patients with osteoarthritis stage II or III according to the Kellgren-Lawrence classification

Exclusion criteria

* Having had knee surgery or lower extremity surgery * Those who have received any physical therapy program in the last week * Those with serious arrhythmia or a pacemaker * Inflammatory arthritis or neuromuscular * Having a history of malignancy * Pregnant * Those with open wounds and infections in the knee area * Those with severe hypoesthesia or neurological disease * Those with bleeding conditions and thrombophlebitis

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
The painthrough of the study, average 5 weeks and 3 months laterMc Gill Short Form will used to determine the type and severity of the pain. A short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) has been developed. The main component of the SF-MPQ consists of 15 descriptors (11 sensory; 4 affective) which are rated on an intensity scale as 0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate or 3 = severe.
Functional statusthrough of the study, average 5 weeks and 3 months laterWestern Ontario ve McMaster Universities (WOMAC) index will used to determine the knee osteoarthritis functional status. The questionnaire, developed at Western Ontario and McMaster University in 1982, includes a total of 24 items consisting of the subparameters Pain (5), Stiffness (2), and Physical function (17). Scoring of the items is done according to the Likert scale. The degree of pain and strain is indicated by giving points from 0 to 4 on the Likert scale. The total score is calculated as a percentage by multiplying the score by 100 and dividing by 96, which is the maximum total score.
The quality of Lifethrough of the study, average 5 weeks and 3 months laterNothingham Health Profile will used to determine the quality of life. Hunt et al. NHP, which was developed in 1981 and used to evaluate the quality of life, consists of 2 subsections. Part 1 includes the subparameters of Pain, Emotional Reactions, Sleep, Social Isolation, Physical Activity and Energy, and Part 2 measures the frequency of health-related problems in work and home life, hobbies, social and sexual life. Part 1 is measured between 0-600 points, and Part 2 is measured between 0-7 points. As the score increases, the quality of life decreases
Lower extremity functional strength and balance testthrough of the study, average 5 weeks and 3 months laterSit to stand test will used to determine Lower extremity strength and balance. The sit to stand test, which evaluates lower extremity muscle strength and endurance and is frequently used in osteoarthritis patients, is performed on a chair without armrests with a height of approximately 44 cm. The patient sits in the middle of the chair with his back straight. Feet touch the ground approximately shoulder-width apart, with one foot slightly in front of the other to help maintain balance. Arms are crossed on the shoulders and the patient is asked to stand up and sit like this for 30 seconds. Sitting and standing for less than 10 repetitions after 30 seconds indicates lower extremity weakness.
Functional mobilitythrough of the study, average 5 weeks and 3 months laterTime up and go test will used to determine functional mobility. Time up and go test was developed by Podsiadlo et al. in 1991. It was developed by Mathias et al. as a modification of the Get-Up and Go Test. For performance measurement that evaluates fall risk and functional mobility, a 3-meter area is determined in front of the chair. The patient is asked to get up from the chair, walk a distance of 3 meters, and then come back and sit on the chair. Time is measured in seconds with a stopwatch. It is determined that there is a risk of falling when the test is completed in more than 12 seconds.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Contacts

Primary ContactTuğba GÖNEN, Asst. Prof.
tugba.badat@hku.edu.tr05050905846

Outcome results

None listed

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