Past Coverage of 2015 CRA & AHPAPast Coverage of 2015 CRA & AHPA Return To RheumReports Home
AHPA - Osteoarthritis – Review of Updated Published Guidelines
February 4 2015 10:19 PM ET — via RheumReports
Osteoarthritis may not be a curable disease at present, but it is treatable. Although the guidelines segregate treatment options into sections, in the clinical setting using several management strategies together may be most beneficial. Chandra Farrer, PT, ACPAC, reviewed current guidelines for OA.
Radiographic evidence in OA does not correlate with symptoms of OA. It is best to assess your patient to determine the specific goals for their own management plan.
A review of trials evaluating exercise programs found that people who did the best in an exercise program started out with weaker quadriceps. This is likely because they had the most to gain from the program. The people who did the worst or had negative effects were those with mal-alignment issues or knee flexion contractures. Interestingly, the studies also found that one specific prescribed exercise had more benefit over time than a non-specific group exercise program. However, the authors of the review did not identify what were the specific exercises that were prescribed.
The take home points from this session included that there is good evidence to indicate that exercise is beneficial for osteoarthritis. Exercise improves quality of life, reduces pain and increases function. Your prescription for exercise should match the level of activity of your patient as assessed by performance measures.
Share This Report
About the Author
Marlene Thompson
Marlene Thompson is an Associate Clinical Professor in Physical Therapy at Western University and an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner in Arthritis Care. Marlene′s research interests include models of care, triage, advanced practice roles, and arthritis education.
View Full Bio