Osteopathic manipulative treatment improves function and relieves pain in knee osteoarthritis: A single-blind, randomized-controlled trial

Objectives: In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) to exercise treatment in the knee osteoarthritis (OA). Patients and methods: A total of 100 patients (9 males, 76 females; mean age 54.8 +/- 8.5 years; range, 40 to 70 years) with Stage II-III bilateral knee OA enrolled to the study and randomized into two groups between January 2015 and June 2015. Group 1 performed exercise and received OMT and Group 2 performed exercise alone. We assessed the clinical parameters with Western Ontario MacMaster Questionnaire (WOMAC) pain score, WOMAC joint stiffness score, WOMAC physical function score, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and 50-m walking time. All patients were assessed at the beginning of the study, just after the treatment, and four weeks after the treatment. Results: There was no significant difference between groups in terms of physical examination and clinical assessment parameters before treatment. Functional improvement (p<0.05) and pain relief (p<0.05) were significantly higher in the exercise + OMT group. Conclusion: Based on our study results, OMT is a particular treatment used by osteopathic physicians to complement conventional treatment of OA of the knee. In addition to the conservative treatment, OMT can be used.