Exercises versus Manual Therapy in Elderly Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: Effectiveness of Manual Therapy in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis in Elderly Patients

Abstract

Study Objective Exercises versus Manual Therapy in Elderly Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis.Design Randomized clinical trial.Method and Measurements 40 male patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who were randomly assigned to one of two groups that received exercises alone (n = 20 mean age, 60 years) or manual therapy and exercises (n = 20 mean age, 61 years). Both groups were received their programs for 4 weeks two sessions per week. Sum of the function, pain, and stiffness subscore of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), VAS and ROM of knee. An assessment was made for each group at the initial visit (before initiation of treatment) and at end of program.Results Both groups showed significant improvement in WOMAC score, VAS and ROM of knee. There were no statistical significant difference between the two groups except the ROM of knee which is significantly different.Conclusion Manual therapy improves the effectiveness of the treatment program of exercises in treating symptoms of knee OA and improves function in elderly people with knee OA.