Blood Flow Restricted Walking in Elderly Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Feasibility Study

Overview

Journal J Rehabil Med

Specialty Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2022 Mar 10

PMID 35266006

Authors

Naaja Petersson

Stian Langgard Jorgensen

Troels Kjeldsen

Inger Mechlenburg

Per Aagaard

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether blood flow restricted walking exercise is feasible in patients with knee osteoarthritis, and to examine changes in functional performance and self-reported function.

Design: Feasibility study.

Patients And Methods: Fourteen elderly individuals diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis participated in 8-10 weeks of outdoor walking (4 km/h, 20 min/session, 4 times/week) with partial blood flow restriction applied to the affected leg. Adherence, dropouts and adverse events were registered. Timed Up and Go test, 30-s sit-to-stand performance, 40-m fast-paced walk speed, stair-climbing and Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score were assessed pre- and post-training.

Results: Nine participants completed the intervention, while 5 participants withdrew (4 due to intervention-related reasons). In non-completing participants baseline body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.05) and knee pain (p = 0.06) were higher, while gait performance (p = 0.04) was lower. Considering completed case data, the training-adherence rate was 93%, while mean knee pain in the affected leg was 0.7 on a numerical rating scale of 0-10. Functional performance improved, while self-reported function remained unchanged.

Conclusion: Blood flow restricted walking exercise appeared feasible in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Participants who completed the intervention protocol demonstrated improvements in functional performance, with no changes in self-reported function.

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