Article

People with knee osteoarthritis (OA) have a high prevalence of falls.
Poor standing balance is one risk factor, but the extent of standing balance
deficits in people with knee OA is unknown. The primary purpose of this study was to summarize available data on standing balance in people with knee OA
compared with people without knee OA. A secondary purpose was to establish the
extent of balance impairment across disease severity.
DATA SOURCES: A literature
search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases through
November 19, 2014, was conducted. STUDY SELECTION: Studies on individuals with
knee OA containing clinical, quantifiable measures of standing balance were
included. Methodological quality was assessed by 2 reviewers using a 16-item
quality index developed for nonrandomized studies. Studies scoring >50% on the
index were included.
DATA EXTRACTION: Participant characteristics (age, sex, body
mass index, OA severity, compartment involvement, unilateral versus bilateral
disease) and balance outcomes were extracted by 2 reviewers. Standardized mean
differences were pooled using a random-effects model. DATA SYNTHESIS: The search
yielded 2,716 articles; 8 met selection and quality assessment criteria. The
median score on the quality index was 13/17. People with knee OA consistently
performed worse than healthy controls on the Step Test, Single-Leg Stance Test,
Functional Reach Test, Tandem Stance Test, and Community Balance and Mobility
Scale. The pooled standardized mean difference was -1.64 (95% confidence
interval=-2.58, -0.69). No differences were observed between varying degrees of
malalignment, or between unilateral versus bilateral disease. LIMITATIONS: No
studies compared between-knee OA severities. Thus, expected changes in balance as
the disease progresses remain unknown. CONCLUSIONS:
Few studies compared people
with knee OA and healthy controls, but those that did showed that people with
knee OA performed significantly worse. More research is needed to understand the
extent of balance impairments in people with knee OA using easy-to-administer, clinically available tests.
CI - (c) 2016 American Physical Therapy Association.

Langue : ANGLAIS