Targeted exercises can improve biomechanical markers in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: A secondary analysis from a cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: It is not clear whether exercise therapy significantly improves knee biomechanics during gait in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. This study aimed to determine whether targeted exercises based on a knee kinesiography exam improve biomechanical markers (BMs) compared with conventional primary care (CPC) management.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a cluster randomized controlled trial in which patients were assigned to one of three groups: (1) Control (CPC), (2) Exercise, and (3) Exercise&Education. Fourteen known BMs in knee OA patients were assessed. The primary outcome was the global evolution ratio (GER), which was calculated as the sum of improved BMs over the sum of deteriorated BMs 6 months after baseline assessment. GER scores were categorized with three different sets of cut-off values into clinical levels: (a) Deteriorated, (b) Stabilized, and (c) Improved. Ordinal logistic regressions were performed on the per-protocol population to determine whether there was a relationship between group assignment and GER levels.

Results: Of the 221 eligible participants, 163 were included. Two different regression models showed that patients from Group 3 (Exercise&Education) were 2.5-times more likely to be in an upper GER level (i.e., Stabilized or Improved) than patients from the control group (both odds ratio (OR) > 2.46, Wald Χ²(1) ≥ 7.268, P ≤ 0.01). They also reported significantly more improvement in pain and function (Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, both P ≤ 0.01).

Conclusions: Results suggest that targeted exercises can improve biomechanical markers in knee OA patients compared with CPC treatment. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and refine the biomechanical markers to address to maximize patients' clinical outcomes.