Effects of resistance exercise using the elastic band on the pain and function of patients with degenerative knee arthritis.
Gook-Joo Kim, Hyunju Oh, Sangyong Lee and 2 others
PMID 32082029WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults with knee arthritis who added elastic band exercises to physical therapy reported less pain and better daily function after four weeks than those who had physical therapy alone.
The band group also received physical therapy, so the band alone is not proven.
Key findings
01Pain and function scores decreased significantly in both groups after treatment.
02The elastic band group had significantly lower pain and function scores after treatment than the control group.
03The elastic band group's pain score changed from 7.5 cm to 3.3 cm, and its K-WOMAC score changed from 35.9 to 14.3, while the control group's pain score changed from 7.5 cm to 5.9 and its K-WOMAC score changed from 29.7 to 24.4.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 30 patients, and the authors note that the number of participants was small. The paper does not state how participants were assigned to groups, so group differences may not be due only to treatment. The elastic band group also received conservative physical therapy, so the contribution of the band alone cannot be separated. Treatment lasted four weeks, and the authors say long-term treatment could not be performed. The authors could not fully control daily life or medication use. The study only looked at knee arthritis, and the participants were aged 65 years or older, so findings may not apply to younger patients or other joints.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that elastic band exercise alone caused the larger improvement. The elastic band group also received conservative physical therapy, and the paper does not state how participants were assigned to groups.