Effectiveness of Core Exercises On Knee Pain, Physical Function & Patient Reported Outcomes In Individuals Diagnosed With Knee Osteoarthritis - A Randomized Controlled Trial

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent condition that leads to chronic disability in older adults. Around 80% of people with OA over the age of 60 have restricted movement, and 25% have trouble completing daily tasks. In India, up to 20% of people who have knee pain and signs of OA document being unable to perform everyday tasks. Evidence from previous studies states that the strength of hip and core musculature has a direct effect on knee joint loading, which in turn leads to disease progression. Therefore. it is proposed that the current study examine the efficacy of targeted core-specific strengthening exercises in conjunction with a routine rehabilitation regimen for knee OA, and evaluate its effectiveness on pain, patient-reported functional outcomes, physical function tests, knee strength, core endurance and correlate its impact on cartilage health and disease severity. Patients with knee OA, who meet the inclusion criteria will be recruited and randomly allocated into intervention and control groups. Clinical assessments including outcome measures - VAS, patient-reported outcomes, physical function tests, and muscle strength will be assessed on baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks. Diagnostic assessments including Xray and USG will be done at baseline and 12 weeks. Following 12 weeks, the effect of the intervention will be compared between groups and the results will be reported.