Relationship between trunk function evaluated using the trunk righting test and physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Kazuaki Kinoshita, Kazunari Ishida, Masashi Hashimoto and 7 others
PMID 28626308WHAT IT FOUND
Higher trunk righting test scores were linked to greater knee strength, longer single-leg standing, and faster timed-up-and-go in 50 patients awaiting knee replacement for knee osteoarthritis.
Key findings
01Higher trunk righting test scores were linked to greater ipsilateral knee extensor strength.
02Higher trunk righting test scores were linked to longer single-leg standing time.
03Higher trunk righting test scores were linked to faster timed-up-and-go performance on both operated and non-operated sides.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional association study, so it cannot show that improving trunk righting test scores improves physical function. All participants had varus knee osteoarthritis and were planning total knee arthroplasty, so results may not apply to milder knee osteoarthritis or people not seeking surgery. The study included both unilateral and bilateral knee osteoarthritis, and the inferior side was not always the operated side, which may confuse side-to-side comparisons. The supplied text gives inconsistent sample-size information: it says 50 patients were included, but also states a total sample size of 26 and a post hoc power of 0.98. No treatment was tested, so no conclusion can be drawn about therapy effectiveness.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that trunk righting test scores cause better function or that trunk training will improve knee osteoarthritis. The study measured correlations at one time point and did not test any treatment.