Proprioceptive Exercises on Joint Pain and QoL Among Geriatric Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis (OA), known as degenerative joint disease of the knee. It is most common in the geriatric and is typically the result of wear and tear and progressive loss of articular cartilage. It happens when cartilage in knee joint breaks down. When this happens, the bones in knee joint rub together, causing friction that makes knees hurt, become stiff or swell. Knee OA is a painful condition and causes exhaustion in affected patients. Patients with this illness often complain of pain, decreased muscle strength, and joint instability. In addition, increased pain in knee OA patients also progressively worsen their quality-of-life. Proprioceptive activity in patients with knee OA gets limited or reduced and leads to reduced activities of daily living (ADLs). Joint proprioception is the ability of an individual to sense the joint position and movement. It encompasses the joint motion and joint position so proprioceptive exercises are being used for the strengthening of muscles around the knee joint. Thus, proprioceptive exercises are recommended exercise which significantly improved pain in knee OA patients which as results lead to improve quality of life. Quadriceps strengthening has been an important component of exercise program of knee osteoarthritis. This is because quadriceps weakness is the most presented finding among people with knee osteoarthritis. An isometric exercise is a form of exercise involving the static contraction of a muscle without any visible movement in the angle of the joint which lead to reduce joint pain and improving QoL in geriatric patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study sample (70) geriatric patients received proprioceptive exercises only, while the control group (70) geriatric patients received routine exercise (Isometric exercise) only.

Inclusion criteria

• Geriatric patients aged 60 years and above diagnosed with knee OA.
• Male and female geriatric patients.
• Alert and able to communicate.
• Mild and moderate knee OA (based on X-rays)

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with advanced knee OA.
• Patients with end stage organ failure.
• Patients with cognitive impairment who will not be able to take active part in the study.
• Patients with neurological impairment or physical disability that interfere with their participation in the study.
• Patients with uncontrolled medical conditions.