# Effectiveness Of The Core Activation And Rehabilitation Exercises For Knee Osteoarthritis - Program (CARE -KOA ©) Among Patients Diagnosed With Knee Osteoarthritis

## TL;DR

A new 4-week exercise program called CARE-KOA© reduced pain and improved function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

## Contribution

The study introduces and evaluates the CARE-KOA© program, which integrates core activation and rehabilitation for knee osteoarthritis.

## Key findings

- The program significantly reduced pain and improved patient-reported outcomes.
- Most physical function tests showed significant improvement after the intervention.
- Knee muscle strength in some groups did not show significant changes.

## Abstract

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent condition. Recent research on people with KOA has addressed kinetic chain and core muscle contribution in disease progression.

This study aims to assess the efficacy of including the CARE -KOA© regimen and evaluate its effect on pain, patient-reported functional outcomes, physical function tests, knee strength, and core endurance.

15 patients above 45 were recruited and underwent a 4-week CARE -KOA© program with 12 supervised sessions over four weeks. Pre- and Post-exercise assessment included evaluating the primary outcome pain using the VAS scale and the patient-reported outcome using the KOOS scale. The secondary outcomes, knee muscle strength, core endurance, and the physical function tests, i.e., the stair climb test, the sit-to-stand test, the 40m fast-paced walking test, and the timed up-and-go test, were also evaluated. The data collected in the study was analyzed using the statistical software
JAMOVI.
p < 0.05 was significant.

Notably, all the parameters examined exhibited a statistically significant difference between their pre-intervention and post-intervention values, except the knee muscle strength in the flexors of the affected knee and extensors of the unaffected knee.

Patients who completed a 4-week supervised CARE -KOA© program alongside routine rehabilitation experienced reduced pain and improved outcomes. This approach aims to address biomechanical issues and positively impacts pain mechanisms.

CTRI/2023/07/05480 on 05/07/2024
https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/regtrial.php?modid=1&compid=19&EncHid=69416.70327

Copy right registration: L – 158197/2024