Pain, Physical Function, and Health in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations between pain and physical functional limitation and health status in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). DESIGN: A correlational study. METHODS: In a convenience sample of 73 patients with knee OA, pain and physical function were assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index. Health status was evaluated using multiple instruments under the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health framework. FINDINGS: In the study of patients with knee OA, pain and physical functional limitation exhibited mild to strong associations with health status, including body function and structure (r = .26-.71), activities and participation (r = .24-.88), and personal and environmental factors (r = .24-.62). CONCLUSION: In patients with knee OA, health status is mildly to strongly associated with pain and physical functional limitation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Reducing pain and physical functional limitation in patients with knee OA might improve their health status.

Addition of lidocaine injection immediately before physiotherapy for frozen shoulder: a randomized controlled trial.

The intraarticular injection of lidocaine immediately before a physiotherapy session may relieve pain during the stretching and mobilization of the affected joint in patients with a frozen shoulder, thus enhancing the treatment effect. To compare the effects of intraarticular injection of lidocaine plus physiotherapy to that of physiotherapy alone in the treatment of a frozen shoulder, a prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted in the rehabilitation department of a private teaching hospital. Patients with a frozen shoulder were randomized into the physiotherapy group or the lidocaine injection plus physiotherapy (INJPT) group. The subjects in the INJPT group underwent injection of 3 ml of 1% lidocaine into the affected shoulder 10 to 20 minutes before each physiotherapy session. In each group, the treatment lasted 3 months. The primary outcome measures were the active and passive range of motion of the affected shoulder. The secondary outcome measures were the results of the Shoulder Disability Questionnaire, the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). The outcome measures were evaluated before treatment and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 months after the start of treatment. The group comparisons showed significantly greater improvement in the INJPT group, mainly in active and passive shoulder range of motion in flexion and external rotation and improvements in pain and disability (P < 0.05); however, no significant group difference was seen in the SF-36 results. The intraarticular injection of lidocaine immediately before a physiotherapy session might be superior to physiotherapy alone in the treatment of a frozen shoulder. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01817348.