The Effect of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Techniques on Muscular Strength in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Background: Knee osteoarthritis is a prevalent chronic musculoskeletal problem among older people, leading to pain, muscle weakness, and a decline in the quality of life. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques on the muscle strength of patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on all patients with knee osteoarthritis who visited orthopedic offices in Darab City in 2021. A non-probability sampling method was used to select 50 eligible patients, who were then divided into 2 groups: an experimental group and a control group. The allocation of participants into these groups was done by a block randomization method. The experimental group underwent proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques for eight weeks, with two sessions per week lasting 30 - 45 minutes. In contrast, the control group received only routine care. Muscle strength in both groups was evaluated using the manual muscle test scale before, four weeks, and immediately after the intervention. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 21, descriptive statistics (such as central tendency and dispersion indices), independent t, chi-square, Fisher’s exact, Mann-Whitney U, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Wilcoxon, and repeated measures ANOVA tests. A significance level of 0.05 was considered. Results: Fifty patients (24% male and 76% female) with a mean age of 53.6 ± 10 completed this study. There was no statistically significant difference by mean scores of muscle strength parameters, including degree (2.8 ± 0.4 vs. 2.8 ± 0.3), the percentage of normality (45 ± 10 vs. 44 ± 12), and scale (2.8 ± 0.4 vs. 2.8 ± 0.3) between the intervention group and the control group on the before of intervention, respectively. However, a significant difference was observed by degree (3.6 ± 0.6 vs. 2.8 ± 0.3; P = 0.001), the percentage of normality (65 ± 14 vs. 45 ± 9; P = 0.001), and scale (3.5 ± 0.6 vs 2.8 ± 0.3; P = 0.001) between the intervention group and the control group, respectively, at the end of the intervention. Conclusions: The proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques could improve the muscle strength of patients with knee osteoarthritis. If this finding is confirmed in other studies, healthcare workers should use these techniques for the benefit of these patients.