Abstract:

To investigate effects of home exercise program including isotonic, isometric and joint range of motion (ROM) exercises on pain, functional capacity and quality of life in knee OA patients. Seventy-five patients with knee OA were included into the study. Patients were exposed to home exercise program including 8-week active ROM, and isometric and isotonic exercises for quadriceps and hamstrings. In patients, severity of pain, functional capacity, severity of disease and quality of life were assessed with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), Lequesne’s knee severity index (LSI) and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) on admission, at the end of and 12th week after the treatment, respectively. At the end of 8th week, of 75 patients, 52 were determined to perform home exercise program regularly. At the end of treatment for 52 patients with knee OA, a significant improvement was seen in physical function, bodily pain and social functioning scores among subscales of SF-36, and VAS, WOMAC and LSI, compared to basal findings. The improvement also continued at 12th week after the treatment. Also, a marked amelioration was observed in role limitation physical, health perception, mental health, role limitation emotional and energy scores among subscales of SF-36, after completing exercise program; however, the amelioration disappared at 12th week after the teratment. Our findings indicate home exercise program increases functional level, decreases pain severity and improves quality of life. Therefore, physicians following-up patients with knee OA should take home exercise programs into consideration while planning treatment regimes.

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