Efficacy of Knee Taping in addition to a Supervised Exercise Protocol to Manage Pain and Functional Status in Individuals with Patellofemoral Osteoarthritis: A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of knee taping in addition to a supervised exercise protocol on the pain intensity and functional status of individuals with patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PF OA). Methods: The study was based on a randomized, controlled pretest-posttest experimental group design. Following an initial screening, forty people with PF OA (mean age 55, range 40-60) were randomly assigned to one of two groups, Group A or Group B (n = 20 each). Group A underwent knee taping and participated in a supervised exercise program, whereas Group B only participated in a supervised exercise program. For four weeks, both groups received their prescribed treatment five consecutive days each week. At baseline (day 1 preintervention) and 4 weeks postintervention, the visual analog scale (VAS) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores were obtained. To compare the effect of stipulated interventions within and between groups, paired and unpaired t tests were performed, with the level of significance set at p < 0.05. Results: When comparing the outcome scores at 4 weeks postintervention with baseline scores, the within-group analysis revealed significant mean differences for the outcomes within groups A (VAS: MD = -3.08-0.76; T = 9.70; p < 0.05 and WOMAC: MD = -7.05-0.81; T = 11.11; p < 0.05) and B (WOMAC: MD = -1.6-0.17; T = 2.35; p < 0.05), but a nonsignificant mean difference for the outcomes of VAS within group B (∆MD = 0.08 ± 0.03; T = -0.56; p > 0.05). Similarly, when the score of VAS (MD = -2.73-1.29; T = -9.17; p < 0.05) and WOMAC (MD = -5.95-1.63; T = -5.86; p < 0.05) were compared at 4 weeks postintervention, there was a significant mean difference between groups A and B. Conclusions: In people with patellofemoral osteoarthritis, combining knee taping with a supervised exercise protocol was more effective than the supervised exercise protocol alone in relieving pain and enhancing functional status.

Impact of Work-Related Chronic Low Back Pain on Functional Performance and Physical Capabilities in Women and Men: A Sex-Wise Comparative Study.

Purpose: This study is aimed at determining the impact of work-related low back pain (LBP) on functional performance and physical capabilities. Methods: This cross-sectional study included women (n = 25, mean age, 38.12 ± 4.59) and men (n = 25, mean age, 37.20 ± 5.38) with a history of work-related mechanical chronic LBP who visited our university hospital's outpatient department. All participants were assessed for primary outcomes, including the severity of LBP on rest and on activity, functional performance, and physical capabilities using a numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), Roland-Morris disability questionnaire (RDQ), five-time sit-to-stand test (FTSST), and fifty-foot walk test (FFWT), respectively. Independent t-tests compared the scores of the outcomes between groups while Pearson's correlation coefficient identified the correlation between the outcomes' measures at a significance level of 0.05. Results: With a response rate of 63.29%, a total of fifty participant's data were obtained for the analysis. A comparison between women and men groups highlighted a significant difference in the scores of the FTSST and FFWT; however, there were insignificant differences in the scores of the NPRS at rest, NPRS on activity, and RDQ. The bivariate correlation revealed a highly significant, positive, and moderate correlation between the scores of NPRS at rest and FTSST, NPRS on activity and FTSST, NPRS at rest and FFWT, NPRS on activity and FFWT, FTSST and RDQ, and FFWT and RDQ in the women group. Similarly, there was a significant, positive, and low correlation between the scores of FTSST and RDQ and FFWT and RDQ in the men group. Conclusion: Work-related chronic LBP affected the physical capabilities of women more than those of men. However, it equally affected the functional performance of all participants in the study. Furthermore, work-related chronic LBP affected the physical capabilities (FTSST and FFWT) and functional performance (RDQ) of women more than those of men.