The effect of horse-riding simulator exercise on the gait, muscle strength and muscle activation in elderly people with knee osteoarthritis.
Seung-Kyu Kim, Seong-Gil Kim, Gak HwangBo
PMID 28533611WHAT IT FOUND
The group with the simulator did not do better than the knee-strengthening-only group, though both groups improved walking speed, knee strength and muscle activity.
Key findings
01The group doing 15 minutes of horse-riding simulator and 15 minutes of knee-strengthening exercise improved walking speed, knee extension and flexion strength, and muscle activity.
02The group doing straight leg raise-adduction, standing flexion, seated extension, front step ups and heel raises also improved walking speed, knee strength and muscle activity.
03No significant differences between the two groups were found before and after the intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 30 people took part, all at least 65 years old, with no fall in the past 12 months and no pain that could affect testing, so it is unclear whether the findings apply to people with recent falls or more disabling pain. The paper does not report randomisation, blinding or dropout numbers. The simulator group received simulator plus knee-strengthening, so the simulator's independent effect cannot be separated. No significant between-group differences were found, so the study does not show the simulator was better than knee-strengthening alone. The paper does not identify a primary outcome, so it is unclear which result should be treated as the main finding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the horse-riding simulator is a better treatment than knee-strengthening exercise. The simulator group also performed knee-strengthening, and the study found no significant differences between the groups.