Impact of Physiotherapy Rehabilitation on Patients with Bilateral Osteoarthritis Knee Pain - A Case Report.

ABSTRACT

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a severe joint disease that affects more than 60 per cent of the elderly. Primary OA pathogenesis is an intrinsic cartilage disorder in which biomechanical and metabolic changes contribute to its breakdown. Although OA is a phase of multifactorial disease, early cartilage damage, and ultimate loss of articular cartilage are considered essential for OA progression. Other essential pathophysiology of OA is bone or joint deterioration, in addition to cartilage degeneration. Although multiple accounts of joint deformity such as osteophytes, subchondral osteosclerosis and bone cysts have been found to be important pathological hallmarks for OA.(1)As life expectancy increases and the age at which patients are diagnosed with knee OA decreases, exploring alternative therapies for treating knee OA becomes necessary. The aim of this case study is to identify a conservative approach to treatment with physical therapy to relieve symptomatic OA pain in the knee and to achieve functional results.(2)The patient was a 53 year old male with complaints of pain in right and left knee joint while walking, standing for extended periods of time, and also while performing functional activities of the affected joint. The aim of physiotherapy for the patient was to return the patient to normal functional activities. After completion of physiotherapy, the patient showed minor changes in the range of motion of right and left knee flexion within functional limits, improvement in strength of both the knee joint muscles and independence in completing a home exercise program. Pain was also decreased according to numerical pain rating scale.