Physiotherapy management of knee osteoarthritis in Nigeria-A survey of self-reported treatment preferences.
Olusola Ayanniyi, Roseline F Egwu, Ade F Adeniyi
PMID 30931033WHAT IT FOUND
Nigerian physiotherapists surveyed about knee osteoarthritis preferred heat and cold therapy over exercise.
Most would use x-rays for diagnosis and combine multiple treatments rather than following guidelines that emphasize exercise and self-management.
Key findings
01Thermotherapy was the most utilized modality for knee osteoarthritis, used by 86.1% of respondents, while therapeutic exercise was second at 81.3%.
02A majority of respondents (68.2%) would request an x-ray as part of the diagnostic process, rather than relying solely on clinical examination.
03Treatment preferences often involved combining multiple modalities, such as exercise with heat, manual therapy, or electrotherapy, rather than using single core interventions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study relied on self-reported preferences in response to a hypothetical vignette, which may not reflect actual clinical behavior. The response rate was 66.8%, meaning one-third of identified physiotherapists did not participate, which could bias the results. The questionnaire did not assess respondents' familiarity with or adherence to specific clinical practice guidelines. Manual therapy was not specifically defined in the survey, leading to potential interpretation differences among respondents.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest and received no financial or material support for this work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these preferences reflect the actual clinical outcomes or efficacy of the treatments. This is a survey of what therapists said they would do for a hypothetical case, not a study of what actually worked for real patients.