The use of a single resistance exercise with or without blood flow restriction in the treatment of pain in knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial

HIGHLIGHTS

• There is no difference in pain improvement whether the exercise is performed with or without blood flow restriction.

• A single exercise can be used as an option to the early phases of rehabilitation.

• Low-intensity resistance exercise with or without blood flow restriction, can be applied as an alternative in cases of knee osteoarthritis.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Physical exercise is an efficient non-pharmacological strategy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Blood flow restriction (BFR) is a technique known to enhance strength and hypertrophy gains when combined with low-intensity resistance exercise. This study aimed to analyze the effects of 12 weeks of low-intensity resistance training with and without blood flow restriction (BFR) on pain control and strength improvement in patients with KOA.

METHODS:

Two intervention groups performed low-intensity resistance exercise (knee joint extension on the leg extension chair at 30% of one repetition maximum) with (LI+BFR, n=13) or without blood flow restriction (LI, n=13), twice a week for 12 weeks. Preand post-test of one repetition maximum, functional strength (Chair-test), peak torque for unilateral knee extension exercise and pain (Visual Analogue Scale) were evaluated.

RESULTS:

No statistically significant differences were observed between treatments in pain reduction (p>0.05). Both interventions increased muscle strength and functional strength after 12 weeks of intervention (p<0.05). The peak torque for knee joint extension increased only in the LI+BFR group (p<0.05). Has no difference in reducing pain in patients with KOA among the groups (p< 0.05), both in the LI+BFR and the LI group.

CONCLUSION:

The results of the present study showed that BFR associated with low-intensity resistance exercise does not produce additional effects in terms of pain reduction and strength gain in patients with knee osteoarthritis, when compared to resistance exercise alone.

Keywords
Chronic pain; Exercise therapy; Muscle strength; Pain Management