| Objective: Knee osteoarthritis(KOA)is one of the most common osteoarthritis diseases,which is characterized by pain,sti ness,swelling and loss of physical function among patients.Neuromuscular function contributes to the development and/or progression of KOA.Whole body vibration(WBV)exercise improves the neuromuscular function of patients with neurological disorders and even that of older patients with limited exercise options.Therefore,WBV exercise may offer an efficient and alternative treatment for individuals with KOA.However,the effects of WBV training on the neuromuscular function of individuals with KOA remain unclear.Therefore,this study attempts to investigate the effect of an 8-week WBV exercise on the neuromuscular function of individuals with KOA and compare with the effects of the strength exercise.Methods: We recruited 61 eligible subjects,of whom 9 were males and 55 were females.Participants were randomly assigned to the health education group(n=20,aged 62.80±4.43 years),static squat training group(n=21,aged 65.00±4.39 years),and WBV exercise group(n=20,aged 63.50±4.09years).The WBV exercise group and static squat training group participated in the intervention three times for eight weeks with the intensity and duration increased gradually.The subjects in health education group attend one 60-min group session per week.The outcomes of VAS and WOMAC questionnaire completed by subjects were measured.Threshold for detection of passive movement of knee and ankle joint were tested using an electrically driven movable frame.Knee extensor and flexor strength of the affected knee joint were measured using an isokinetic dynamometer.Data were shown as mean ± SD.Analyses were conducted using SPSS statistical software(SPSS 20.0).Between-and within-group differences of these outcomes were evaluated through repeated-measurement analysis of variance.Levels of significance were set at P <0.05.Results:(1)After eight-week intervention,the VAS scale for pain of the health education and WBV exercise group significantly decreased(p < 0.05).No difference was found in static squat training group.There was no difference between the results of VAS between three groups.Base on the WOMAC questionnaire,all the outcomes of four subscales in WBV exercise group didn't significantly change.The pain subscale decreased after the intervention of health education and static squat training groups.No difference between three groups was found.The Lequesne & Mery index of static squat training and WBV exercise groups decreased significantly(p < 0.05)without difference between three groups.(2)Threshold for detection of passive movement of knee flexion significantly improved after intervention in static squat training group(p < 0.05).However,therewere no difference found in WBV exercise group and health education group.For proprioception of ankle joint,the threshold for detection of passive movement of ankle plantarflexion,varus and valgus significantly improved in static squat training group.(3)The isometric peak torque and isometric peak power of knee extension and knee flexion significantly improved in WBV exercise group(p < 0.05),while the endurance,the isometric peak torque and power of knee extension significantly reduced in health education group(p < 0.05).The change of the isometric peak torque knee flexion in WBV group was significant compared with health education group(p= 0.031).Conclusion: For KOA patients,eight-week WBV exercise can relieve the pain around knee joint,and strengthen the muscles around the knee,while the static squat training improve the knee pain and proprioception of lower extremity effectively.Compared with strength exercise,the WBV militate no extra effect on pain,proprioception and muscle strength. |
PDF Full Text Request