Evaluation of cerebral waves related to balance, pain, and knee proprioception among women with knee osteoarthritis with and without knee instability

Todays, various methods are used to evaluate the severity of knee instability in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The aim of this study was to compare the state of brain waves related to balance, pain, and proprioception among KOA women with and without knee instability.

In this cross-sectional study, 60 female KOA patients were selected, and based on the instability index scores, were divided into two groups of 30 people with and without knee instability. Pain was evaluated with visual analogue scales (VAS), knee proprioception with angle reconstruction error and goniometer, balance with Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and brain wave analysis with ProComp Infiniti device. The Fitzgerald scale was also used to assign subjects to groups with and without knee instability. Then, the two groups were compared.

There was no significant difference between the mean scores of brain waves related to balance between the two groups. However, there was a significant difference between the two groups in knee proprioception at the target angles of 45° (both legs: p=0.0001) and 70° (right leg: p=0.003 and left leg: p=0.001). Also, a significant difference was observed between the two groups in balance scores (p=0.0001).

The evaluation of brain waves associated with balance in KOA patients cannot provide useful and practical information to identify people with knee instability. However, the sense of proprioception and balance in these people are distinct and can be factors to identify people prone to knee instability in these patients.