Remote Rehabilitation With Knee Brace for Individuals With Degenerative Joint Disease

The KOOS questionnaire is a validated and internationally recognized self-reported tool, officially translated into Polish, used to assess knee-related symptoms. It consists of five subscales: pain, knee stiffness, daily living function, sports and recreational activity, and knee-related quality of life.

The maximum score of 100 indicates no symptoms or limitations, while a score of 0 indicates extreme symptom severity.

A subjective scale for evaluating pain intensity. This 10-point scale measures how strong the participant's pain is, where 1 means no pain and 10 means unbearable pain.

A subjective, point-based tool assessing pain based on four features: intensity, frequency, use of pain medication, and physical activity limitation.

Each category is scored from 0 to 4, where 0 means no issue, and 4 indicates the most severe problem.

Anteroposterior (AP) radiograph of both lower limbs taken in a standing position, with feet hip-width apart and in a neutral position.

Measurements include the angle between the mechanical axis of the femur and tibia, and the medial joint space width (JSW) of the knee [mm].

Angular measurement of the knee's flexion and extension using an electronic goniometer.

For flexion: the patient lies on their back with legs extended; the goniometer axis is placed at the lateral femoral epicondyle, with the fixed arm aligned with the greater trochanter and the movable arm following the lateral malleolus as the patient actively bends the knee.

For extension: the patient lies face down with legs bent at the knees, positioned so that the knees extend beyond the edge of the examination table to allow full extension or hyperextension. Goniometer placement follows the same protocol.

Measurements are taken for both limbs.

A proprietary survey assessing patient satisfaction with the telerehabilitation program, as well as comfort and perceived effectiveness of the cage-type knee brace used in the conservative treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The survey is based on a 5-point scale, where 1 represents a poor outcome, 5 indicates an excellent result, and 3 denotes no change.

BMI is calculated as weight [kg] divided by height squared [m²]. It is considered a significant risk factor in the severity and progression of knee osteoarthritis.

A simplified BMI classification is used in this study:

<18.5 - underweight; 18.5-24.99 - normal; >24.99 - overweight

Circumference measurements (in cm) of the thigh (10 cm above mid-patella), knee (at mid-patella), and calf (15 cm below mid-patella) on both braced and non-braced limb; used for asymmetry assessment, monitoring changes over time, and brace sizing.