Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major cause of disability and significantly reduce quality of life (QOL). There is limited information about knee associated problems and functional mobility among Malaysian adults with KOA. The aim of our study was to examine knee associated problems and functional mobility among this population. Forty-five (45) adults with KOA with mean age of 65.02 ± 8.083 were recruited from Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, UKM. Knee associated problems and functional mobility were measured using Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (KOOS) and Timed-Up and Go (TUG) test respectively. The mean score and standard deviation for TUG test was 11.44 ± 2.69 seconds. Median scores (with interquartile ranges [IQR]) for the KOOS subscale domains were; Symptoms: 80.56, (69.44 to 91.67); Pain: 71.43 (50 to 78.57); Functional Activities of Daily Living: 82.3 (67.65 to 86.76); Sports and Recreation Function: 30 (20 to 60); and Knee-Related Quality of Life: 50 (25 to 75). Generally, participants’ TUG test performance showed that time taken to complete the test was higher than the reference values (7.14 to 8.43 seconds) identified among Malaysian community dwelling older adults with low to high risk of falls. The KOOS scores in adults with KOA in our study is similar to previous reports with Sport and Recreation Function and QOL domains been the most affected. It is important to improve functional mobility and balance in order to decrease falls risk and optimise sport and recreation function and QOL among adults with KOA.
Study site: Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic joint disease that results in pain and disability in many people. Cultural practice may influence patients’ views about their condition, its related issues and management. The aim of our study was to explore the perspective about knee OA and its related issues among Malaysian patients with knee OA. Twelve patients diagnosed with knee OA (8 females and 4 males) attending physiotherapy sessions at a University Hospital, mean age (SD): 67.1(9.4) years and median visual analog scale score of 5/10 participated in this qualitative study. One to one in-depth interviews were conducted, audio recorded and later transcribed verbatim. Three main themes were identified from the transcribed data; knee pain and its’ related issues (reason and aggravating factors of knee pain, coping strategies), impact of knee pain (impact on daily activities and emotions) and physiotherapy management (effects and expectations of physiotherapy, compliance and adherence towards home exercises). Most participants expressed that their knee pain was aggravated by certain movements that had an effect on their daily activities namely squatting. The findings also suggested that physiotherapy management was perceived as secondary prevention rather than a cure. Findings from this study provides information about the perceptions and related issues of patients with knee OA. This information may help health professionals in tailoring patient-centered care and provide better management.
Study site: Physiotherapy department, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia