Ischemic Preconditioning Improves Hip Abductor Strength and Power in Patients with Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis.

Objective: To investigate the effect of ischemic preconditioning (IC) on bilateral hip abductor strength, fatigue, and power in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Methods: Participants (n=10) with KOA completed isokinetic and isometric hip abductor assessments on a Biodex dynamometer both before and after IC. IC was administered during a single session and consisted of 5 minutes of inflation (225mmHg) followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion for 50 minutes. Changes in strength and endurance measures before and after IC were compared using paired t-tests and magnitude of significant differences were reported using Cohen's d effect sizes.

Results: Isokinetic hip abductor peak torque (d=.42, p=.027) and average power (d=.57, p=.029) in the involved limb, and isokinetic peak torque (d=.37, p=.044) in the uninvolved limb increased significantly after IC compared to baseline. There were no changes in isokinetic average power in the uninvolved limb, or isometric peak torque and fatigue index in both limbs after IC (p=.13-.77).

Conclusions: A single session of IC improved hip abductor strength in both limbs and power in the involved limb in KOA patients. IC should continue to be investigated as a safe and clinically convenient intervention that can supplement traditional modalities to improve muscle function in KOA.