Comparison of the Effects of the Two Strengthening and Balanced, Strengthening, Balanced, and Core-stability Exercise Protocols on the Balance and Fear of Falling in Women with Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders causing joint destruction and consequently, the proprioceptive deficits, hence decreased balance and falling. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of core-stability exercises on knee osteoarthritis.
This study used a quasi-experimental with the pre-test and post-test. Twenty-five women with knee osteoarthritis were selected via the purposive and convenience sampling technique. Afterwards, they were divided into two experimental groups (groups 1 & 2). Participants performed exercises for 8 weeks, each of which consisted of three sessions. At the beginning and at the end of the research, their static balance, dynamic balance, and fear of falling were tested by the One Leg Stance Test (OLST), Y balance test, and Falls Self-Efficacy Scale (FES-I), respectively. For analyzing statistical data, descriptive statistics, and repeated- measures ANOVA (type II) were used at the significance level of 5%.
A significant increase was observed in the static and dynamic balances in the experimental group 1 and experimental group 2 (P0.05). Regarding the score of fear of falling in the experimental group 1 and experimental group 2, a significant difference was observed (p0.05).
It could be concluded from the findings of the research that the addition of core-stability exercises to strengthening and balanced ones which focus only on knee joints can be effective on the improvement of balance and the reduction of the risk of falling for patients with knee osteoarthritis.