ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee affects 20% of the world's population and 70% to 80% of individuals aged over 65 years. It is characterized by pain and functional disability caused by the degeneration of joint cartilage and subchondral bone. Its conservative treatment includes physical exercises .
Objective:
To determine the effects of the prescription of a specific protocol of physical activities to treat OA in patients with severe OA of the knee .
Methods:
Twenty-three patients were selected, and physical activities were prescribed. The patients were evaluated at baseline, three and six months with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) index (3 domains). The generalized linear model was used, and in situations with significant difference between the evaluation times, multiple comparisons were conducted using the Bonferroni test, with a level of significance of five percent .
Results:
There were statistically significant differences between the VAS and WOMAC scores at baseline and three and six months. These results were independent of the degree of OA and whether the disease was unilateral or bilateral .
Conclusion:
Prescription of physical activities in patients with severe OA of the knee improves articular function, and should therefore be considered in cases with indication for arthroplasty.
Keywords:
osteoarthritis; motor activity; knee; aged
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