Noninvasive biomechanical therapy improves objective and subjective measurements of pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A retrospective analysis

Background: Biomechanical interventions for the management of knee osteoarthritis (OA) are emerging. AposTherapy is one type of biomechanical therapy that has been shown to reduce knee adduction moment and improve gait patterns and clinical symptoms. The purpose of the current study was to further investigate the changes in gait patterns after this biomechanical therapy and to define its possible clinical benefits for patients with knee OA. Methods: Four hundred and twelve patients with knee OA were evaluated using a computerized gait test, as well as the Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and the SF-36 Health Survey self-evaluation questionnaires. After these measurements, the Apos system was individually calibrated to each patient according to his or her gait patterns and clinical evaluation. All patients received exercise guidelines and underwent 3 months of therapy. A second evaluation of gait and clinical symptoms was conducted after 3 months of therapy. Results: After 3 months of therapy, a significant improvement was found in all gait parameters (all P<0.01), as well as in the level of pain, function, and quality of life (all P<0.01). High correlations were found between the improvement in gait parameters and the improvement in self-evaluation questionnaires. Conclusions: The examined biomechanical therapy led to a significant reduction in pain and improvement in function, quality of life, and gait patterns. These findings support previous findings and deepen the understanding of this new noninvasive biomechanical therapy in patients with knee OA.