ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Exercise is widely regarded to improve pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) through building supportive muscle mass, facilitating weight loss, and through the other beneficial effects associated with it. PURPOSE: To explore literature that presents clinical guidelines for the use of exercise in the treatment of knee OA to inform an evidence-based position statement for the Arthroscopy Association of Canada. STUDY DESIGN: Position statement. METHODS: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for guidelines commenting on the role of exercise for knee OA. The search was limited to guidelines published in the last 10 years. Articles were screened for relevance, focusing on recently published research with clinical guidelines. Inclusion criteria involved all articles providing clinical guidelines for exercise and knee OA. RESULTS: Eight guidelines were identified. All eight recommended exercise as an important component of treatment for knee OA, with 6/8 strongly recommending it. CONCLUSION: Exercise is an effective and important component of the non-pharmacological management of knee OA. The Arthroscopy Association of Canada strongly recommends the use of exercise in the management of knee OA.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the 135-degree hip screw, 95-degree hip screw, and intramedullary hip screw (IMHS) for fixation of reverse obliquity intertrochanteric fractures. METHODS: Twelve matched pairs of human femora (mean age 64 years) were obtained. Osteotomies were created in left femurs at a 33-degree angle, running inferolaterally from the lesser trochanter to mimic reverse obliquity intertrochanteric fractures. Right femora acted as controls. Three groups of left femora (n = 4 per group) had a 135-degree hip screw, 95-degree hip screw, or IMHS inserted. Strain gages were placed distal to the fracture site to monitor fragment strain. A linearly variable differential transformer measured lateral displacement of the proximal femur. An Instron tester applied vertical loads to the femoral head. Outcome measures of stiffness, strain, and lateral displacement were determined at 25-degree adduction, 25-degree abduction, 25-degree flexion, and 90-degree flexion. A 2-cm bone gap was then created at the fracture site to simulate comminution and the mechanical tests repeated. Failure load was assessed in 25-degree adduction with a bone gap. RESULTS: There was no difference in normalized stiffness between constructs before creation of a gap. After gap creation, stiffness of all constructs was reduced (P = 0.03), and there was a significant difference in adduction (135-degree hip screw, 46.6% +/- 3%; 95-degree hip screw, 22.9% +/- 2%; and IMHS, 53.7% +/- 7.8%) (P < 0.05). Similar results were noted for abduction and flexion. There was no significant difference in lateral displacement between constructs before (P = 0.92) or after (P = 0.26) gap creation. Failure load was significantly different (135-degree hip screw, 1222 +/- 560 N; 95-degree hip screw, 2566 +/- 283 N; and IMHS, 4644 +/- 518 N) (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: With bone contact, there were no statistically significant differences in the stiffness between the constructs. With a gap, however, the IMHS bone implant construct was significantly stiffer and had a greater load to failure than the 135-degree and 95-degree constructs.
