Effect of home exercise program performance in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or the spine on the visual analog scale after discharge from physical therapy

The aim of our study was to assess the effect of the frequency of home exercise program (HEP) performance on pain [10-point visual analog scale (VAS)] in patients with osteoarthritis of the spine or knee after more than 6 months discharge from physical therapy (PT). We performed a retrospective chart review of 48 adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of knee or spine osteoarthritis and had been discharged from PT of the spine or the knee for at least 6 months with provision of HEP from a physical therapist. Adult patients who were younger than 50 years of age, taking more than one medication to control pain, participating in worker's compensation, or had a history of drug abuse were excluded from the study. We recorded patient demographics, pain level (10-point VAS scale), and the number of days that a HEP was performed per week. The mean VAS score of patients who performed 0 days of HEP per week was 6.90. The mean VAS score of patients who performed HEP 1-3 times per week was 6.36. The mean VAS score of patients who performed HEP 4-7 times per week was 5.00. Single-factor analysis of variance analysis indicated a P-value of less than 0.01. Post-hoc comparison of the mean VAS using Fisher's least significant difference test showed a significant difference between the mean VAS score of 4-7 days per week of HEP versus 0 days per week (P < 0.01) and 1-3 days per week (P < 0.01) of HEP. There was no significant difference in the mean VAS score between 0 days of HEP and 1-3 days of HEP (P > 0.05). Patients who performed 4-7 days per week of HEP had statistically significant lower mean VAS scores than patients who performed 0 days per week of HEP and 1-3 days per week of HEP. Therefore, after 6 months of discharge from PT, patients should be encouraged to perform at least 4 days of HEP per week. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research 35:275-277 (C) 2012 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.