Proprioceptive exercises in knee OA patients - systematic review.

The effectiveness of proprioceptive-based exercise for osteoarthritis of the knee: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Smith, T., King, J. and Hing, C. Rheumatology International, 2012; 32: 3339 – 3351.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22821333

Proprioception is essential for our daily life activities. It is suggested that proprioceptive deficits might occur in people suffering from knee OA. There seems to be some evidence that exercises may improve clinical outcomes in patients with knee OA. Nevertheless, there is lack of clear evidence suggesting that proprioceptive type exercises might be effective in knee OA patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of proprioceptive exercises for knee OA using meta-analysis.

Seven RCTs including 560 participants (203 males and 357 females) with a mean age of 63 years were included in this systematic review. The methodological quality of the evidence base was moderate. Primary outcome measure was functional outcome at 1 year follow up using WOMAC and KOOS scales. Secondary outcome measures included pain, general or quality of life health measures, JPS capability, knee range of motion, exercise compliance and acceptability, and quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength. 
Meta-analysis demonstrated that those who received the proprioceptive intervention presented with statistically significantly better secondary outcome scores compared to the non-treatment group. In regards to differences between proprioceptive group vs strengthening exercise control only one secondary outcome measure - walk over spongy ground - was demonstrated to be statistically faster by the proprioceptive group.
In conclusion, study findings indicate that compared to a non – treatment control, proprioceptive exercises improve functional outcomes in people with knee OA. In comparison to general exercise programme, proprioceptive exercises demonstrated similar outcomes, only providing superior results with respect to JPS-related measurements.

However, the current evidence base is small, with limited literature over longer-term outcomes.

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