Scholarly record

KINETIC PROGRAM PROPOSED FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS REHABILITATION TO RETIRED PERFORMANCE ATHLETES

An. Kese, M. Dragomir, G. Roberta, B. Bogdan, P. Catalin

Abstract

Background Knee osteoarthritis is an interaction of biological, mechanical and biochemical factors which is complicated by injury, with an accelerated pathological processes of the joint. Especially the athletes, particularly those with a history of knee injury that can lead to posttraumatic osteoarthritis, are diagnosed earlier than other people with same age. The aim of this paper was to find the most effective rehabilitation treatment for these patients to reduce pain and inflammation and improve knee joint mobility. Methods The study was focused on 15 patients, retired performance athletes aged 46-71 years. Patients were diagnosed with secondary knee osteoarthritis at "Bunavestire" Rehabilitation Hospital of Craiova. Patients received 2 curative therapy consisting of physical therapy sessions and kinetic program, between September 2017 and February 2018. Patients were evaluated: I - initially at first physical exam, II - after 6 months, at the end of curative therapy. The effects of treatment were monitorized using goniometric measurements for knee joint mobility and VAS scale as a method of quanitify pain intensity. Results In terms of age distribution, patients between 46-55years (64%) of the urban area predominate (53%). The incidence of knee osteoarthritis was higher in women performing sports (60%) than in men of the same category. Patient pain assessment was performed using the VAS scale from day 1 to the end of the rehab program, with the average pain VAS scale measurement decreasing from 82.66% initially to 17.39%. Goniometric measurement of articular mobility made from day 1 to the end of the cure shows that knee amplitude increased by 20-25Вє to flexion and by 10-15Вє to extension. Conclusions Patients with knee osteoarthritis in the study group experienced improvements in joint mobility, pain was greatly reduced and inflammation decreased. As a result of the physical and kinetic program, an improvement of the quality of life was achieved and the ADL capacities increased significantly at this patients.

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