The effect of gluteus medius strengthening on the knee joint function score and pain in meniscal surgery patients.
Eun-Kyung Kim
PMID 27821928WHAT IT FOUND
For meniscal surgery patients with weak hip abductors, combining hip abduction with squat training improved knee function and reduced pain more than either exercise alone.
Key findings
01At 8 weeks, Group III (SIHA+ABD) had a Lysholm knee function score of 75.1 on the 100-point scale, while Group I had 61.1 and Group II had 60.0.
02At 8 weeks, pain on the 10 cm visual analogue scale was 2.1 in Group III (SIHA+ABD), 4.0 in Group I, and 3.5 in Group II.
03The change over time differed by group for both knee function scores and pain scores.
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 26 patients, with 8 to 9 per group, so the results may not be stable. All groups received an exercise programme, and there was no non-exercise control group, so natural recovery after surgery cannot be separated from the exercise effect. The surgical method, whether meniscectomy or meniscus repair, and the site of meniscal injury, medial or lateral, were not specified. Participants had to have Lysholm scores under 64 and hip abductor strength below grade 4, so patients with better baseline function or strength were not studied. In Group III, the two exercises were given together, so the separate contribution of each part of the combination cannot be isolated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this combined exercise programme is proven better than doing nothing. Every group received exercise, there was no non-exercise control group, and only 26 patients were studied, so the study cannot show what would happen without exercise.