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The effect of functional knee bracing on medial compartment osteoarthritis

University of British Columbia

The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical effects of the Patient- Ready Monarch Knee Brace (Smith and Nephew - Donjoy) in patients with medial osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Using a repeated measures cross over study design, ten subjects, eight male and two female, (mean values: age = 51.3 ± 8.63; weight = 185.2 ± 22.9 lbs., height = 69.5 ± 3.7 cm.) participated in the study. Subjects wore the knee brace for six weeks in each a neutral and valgus orientation with a three-week washout between trials. Clinical measurements included four functional tasks: timed hgure-8-run, timed 6-stair climb, incline squat, single leg hop. Each task was measured every three weeks. In addition, subjects completed the Western Ontario McMaster University (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index daily during the fifteen weeks. The WOMAC index is an OA specific quality of life questionnaire consisting of three subscales (pain, stiffness, and physical function). Statistical significance was set a priori at p< 0.05. Repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of the figure-8- run, incline squat, and single leg hop functional tasks, measured at testing session 1,3 and 6, indicated no significant difference between the no brace, neutral and valgus brace conditions (p>0.05). There was a significant improvement in the time to stair climb when subjects wore a brace compared to no brace (p=. 01); however, there was no difference between valgus and neutral brace conditions (p=.21). The three subscales of the WOMAC index were analyzed separately using repeated measures ANOVA. Results indicate that the perception of pain and stiffness did not significantly change between brace conditions (p=. 43 and p=. 16 respectively). There was a significant difference between conditions found in the physical function subscale (p=. 02). Post hoc analysis indicated that subjects perceived their physical function improved when wearing a brace compared to not wearing a brace. Conclusion: Patients who have medial knee OA may perceive a significant improvement in performing physical tasks while wearing a knee brace. Moreover, they are able to ascend and descend stairs quicker while wearing a brace. Results must be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size used in this study.

Thesis/Dissertation

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2009-06-17

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/9387

Human Kinetics

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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