Comparative Study of The Effects of Proprioceptive Exercises Versus Ultrasound Therapy in the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Proprioceptive exercises have been shown to be one of the ways of alleviating pain and improving disability in patients with osteoarthritis. This  study investigates the effectiveness of proprioceptive exercises and ultrasound therapy in the management of osteoarthritis of knee. The methods  used for this studies were; 20 participants with clinical diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly allocated to control and experimental  group. The participants in the experimental group received proprioceptive exercises and static quadriceps exercises while the participants in the  control group received static quadriceps exercises and ultrasound therapy using continuous mode of 3 MHz and intensity of 2.0W/cm2 for 5  minutes. The variables measured are; Quality of Life, Active Range of Motion (AROM) and Intensity of Pain. Data obtained was summarised using  descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation and analysed using inferential statistics of independent t-test and paired t-test. The result  obtained were: The results did not show significant differences between the two groups in pain intensity (t= -0.22, p= 0.83), quality of life (t= -0.03,  p=0.98), and AROM (t= 0.06, p= 0.95) p>0.05. However, a significant change within the group difference was seen in the experimental group in pain  intensity (t=13.500, p<0.05), quality of life (t=3.965, p<0.05) and AROM (t=-9.000, p<0.05). Similarly, a significant difference was seen in the control  group in the terms of pain intensity, quality of life and AROM at 0.05α level. In conclusion, it was concluded that, either proprioceptive  exercises or ultrasound therapy, in addition to static quadriceps exercises can be useful to decrease pain, stiffness, increase AROM and physical function in  patient with knee osteoarthritis.