Effect of Core Stability Versus Ankle Foot Strengthening Exercise in the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: core stability exercise, foot-ankle strengthening exercise.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Knee Osteoarthritis. Basic parameters: from 40 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Pakistan
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative joint disease causing pain, stiffness, and reduced quality of life. While treatments often focus on drugs or surgery, noninvasive exercises like core stabilization and ankle/foot strengthening show potential but lack comparative studies. Understanding anatomical factors like Achilles tendon (AT) thickness is crucial for targeted rehabilitation, though measurement reliability remains an issue. This study aims to compare the effects of these exercises on KOA symptoms and evaluate the use of digital calipers for AT thickness measurement, aiming to enhance clinical management of KOA.
Detailed description
The objective of the study is:
1. To determine the interrater and intrarater reliability of digital calliper to measure the side to side Achilles tendon thickness. 2. To determine the impact of 24 sessions of core stability translated in gait ambulation. 3. determines the relationships between Achilles tendon thickness (ATT), knee symptoms/functions, and foot alignment in knee OA patients, considering their interconnected biomechanical nature. 4. compare the effects of core stability and ankle-foot strengthening exercises on clinical outcomes in KOA patients
Interventions
- Other core stability exercise
1. Isometric quadriceps exercises involving knee extension 2. Maximum isometric exercise for the quadriceps - Other foot-ankle strengthening exercise
1. Isometric quadriceps exercises involving knee extension 2. Maximum isometric exercise for the quadriceps
Primary outcome measures
- Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) Questionnaire [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at rest [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Stair climb test [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Knee flexion range of motion [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- knee extension range of motion [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Achilles tendon thickness [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- 30 second chair test [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Timed up and go test [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- 40 meter walk test [Time frame: 8 weeks]
- Gastrocnemius muscle strength [Time frame: 8 weeks]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- 40 years old, had been diagnosed with KOA based on ACR, and
- having Grade II or III osteoarthritis by K/L criteria.
Exclusion criteria
- post-traumatic osteoarthritis
- lower limb sensorimotor dysfunction,
- Any history of knee fracture/ tumor/ infection and hip/knee surgery.
- Total Knee Replacement patients.
- Neurological disease.
- Patient received physical therapy treatment from last 6 months.
- Inflammatory Arthritis (Rheumatoid Arthritis)
- Use of any intra-articular injections (steroid/ hyaluronic acid/ PRP.) from last 3-6 months.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Pakistan · 1 center
- BIPTRM — Karachi
Publications
- Nazir SNB, Asim A. Comparative efficacy of an 8-week core stability program versus foot-ankle strengthening on pain, function, and distal structural parameters in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2026 Jul 26;16(1):23619. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-64385-z. PMID 42533024
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06766877 · BMU/Approval?