Assessment of the Effects of Tai Chi Exercises on Balance and Functional Status in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 96
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Total score on the Berg Balance Scale.
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether Tai Chi exercise, used as an adjunct to standard physiotherapy, can improve balance, functional status, pain, and knee joint mobility in older adults (65-75 years) diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis (gonarthrosis), compared with standard physiotherapy alone and physiotherapy combined with virtual reality-based training.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does adding Tai Chi to standard physiotherapy lead to greater improvements in static and dynamic balance (Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go test) in patients with knee osteoarthritis?
Does Tai Chi result in superior improvements in pain intensity (VAS), functional status (WOMAC), and knee joint range of motion compared with standard physiotherapy and VR-based training?
Researchers will compare three intervention arms-standard physiotherapy, standard physiotherapy plus virtual reality (Kinect-based biofeedback training), and standard physiotherapy plus Tai Chi-to determine whether Tai Chi provides greater clinical and functional benefits than the other rehabilitation approaches.
Participants will:
Receive standard inpatient physiotherapy for knee osteoarthritis
Additionally perform one of the following interventions for 30 minutes daily over 4 weeks:
Tai Chi exercises led by a qualified therapist, focusing on balance, controlled movement, and pain-free execution
Virtual reality-based balance training using a Kinect system
Undergo assessments before and after the intervention period, including pain, balance, functional performance, and knee joint mobility measures
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- Double (Care Provider, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 60 Years to 80 Years (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •Diagnosed knee osteoarthritis
- •Age between 60 and 80 years
Exclusion Criteria
- •Patients with significant knee joint effusion and excessive valgus or varus deformity of the knee joint
- •Post-surgical status
- •Patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 34
- •Patients after knee joint surgery
- •Patients with severe clinically significant comorbidities that could interfere with study outcomes
- •Lack of patient consent to participate in the study, as well as non-compliance or diagnosed psychiatric disorders
- •History of stroke and other neurological disorders
Arms & Interventions
Standard Physiotherapy Combined with Tai Chi Balance Training
Intervention: Tai Chi training (Other)
Inpatient Physiotherapy with Manual Therapy, Physical Modalities, and Conventional Balance Training
Intervention: Comprehensive Inpatient Physiotherapy with other standard therapies (Other)
Standard Physiotherapy Combined with Kinect-Based Virtual Reality Balance Training
Intervention: Kinect-Based Virtual Reality Balance Training with Biofeedback (Other)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Total score on the Berg Balance Scale.
Time Frame: Baseline; Day 1 (09 May 2025) Final assessment: after 4 weeks (06 June 2025)
Assessment of static and dynamic balance using a 14-item scale. The unit of measurement is points (range 0-56), where a higher score indicates better balance.
Score on the WOMAC questionnaire (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index).
Time Frame: Baseline; Day 1 (09 May 2025) Final assessment: after 4 weeks (06 June 2025)
Assessment of the severity of osteoarthritis symptoms (pain, stiffness, and physical function). The unit of measurement is points (sum of 24 items), where a higher score indicates poorer functional status and greater pain.
Time to complete the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test.
Time Frame: Baseline; Day 1 (09 May 2025) Final assessment: after 4 weeks (06 June 2025)
Assessment of functional mobility and fall risk. The unit of measurement is time in seconds required to stand up from a chair, walk 3 meters, turn around, return, and sit down again.
Secondary Outcomes
No secondary outcomes reported
Investigators
Grzegorz Mańko
Department of Biomechanics and Kinesiology, Institute of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Cracow, Poland
Scientific Association of Sports Researchers