Article

Little is known regarding how impairment-based exercises may improve
performance of specific functional tasks in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA).
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the probability that
participation in an impairment-based exercise program or the same
impairment-based program supplemented with agility and perturbation training will
improve patient-reported function on specific functional tasks. DESIGN: This
study was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized clinical trial. SETTING:
The study was conducted in the outpatient physical therapy clinic of a large,
university-based health center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty-three people
with knee OA (122 women, 61 men) participated. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were
randomly assigned to either a group that received agility and perturbation
training with standard exercise therapy or a group that received only the
standard exercise. MEASUREMENTS: Specific functional items were taken from the
physical function subscale of the Western Ontario and McMasters Universities
Osteoarthritis Index, the Lower Extremity Function Scale, and the Activities of
Daily Living Scale of the Knee Outcome Survey. RESULTS: The probability of
self-reported improvement in a variety of specific functional tasks was low
following participation in either of the exercise programs. When only
participants with moderate to severe difficulty performing specific functional
tasks were considered in the analysis, the probability of success improved but
was still limited. LIMITATIONS: The results are generalizable only to
self-reported assessment of performance of specific functional tasks.
CONCLUSIONS: Impairment-based exercise may not be enough to make substantial
improvement in performance of specific functional tasks. Task-specific exercise
approaches need to be explored for people with knee OA.

Langue : ANGLAIS