Uphill Walking Effect on the Disability of Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of physiotherapy with uphill walking versus physiotherapy alone on the disability of patients with knee osteoarthritis.

This study was a randomized clinical trial carried out on 30 patients (5 males and 25 females) with moderate knee osteoarthritis aged between 40 and 65 years. They were assigned to the intervention and control groups. Both groups received 10-session routine physiotherapy, and the intervention group received an 8-degree treadmill walking at a speed of 1.1m/s for 30 minutes in each session. The participants’ disability was measured before, immediately after, and 20 days after the 10-session treatment by the Persian version of Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). The data were analyzed through the repeated measures analysis of variance in SPSS V. 22. The significant level was set at 0.05.

Statistical analysis showed significant improvements in the activity of daily living (P≤0.01) and quality of life (P<0.05) in both groups, with these improvements being persistent up to the 20th day (P<0.02). Other subscales included Symptoms, pain, and sports functions improved only in the intervention group (P≤0.01), and these improvements were persistent up to the 20th day (P≤0.003).

This study showed that physiotherapy combined with uphill walking versus physiotherapy alone results in improvements in pain, other symptoms, and sports function subscales of patients with moderate knee osteoarthritis. These improvements were persistent up to the 20th day. Accordingly, it is recommended to include an 8-degree inclined treadmill walking to the routine physiotherapy program in the management of knee osteoarthritis.