The use of various interventions to reduce falls and improve balance in knee osteoarthritis patients: a narrative review

Abstract

People with knee OA are more likely to fall, which is a major public health concern because it can lead to serious injuries and trips to the hospital. Despite the greater balance disorders, and fall prevalence among patients with knee OA, the field of study in this population has received less attention. This study aims to review articles using different interventions for balance improvement and fall prevention in individuals with knee OA. An extensive literature search was performed in the databases of Science Direct, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, and ISI Web of Knowledge using OR, AND, and NOT operators and the selected keywords. Only studies written in English and published in journals from 2010 to May 2022 were used for this purpose. The studies that have examined the effect of various therapies on balance improvement and fall prevention in the individuals with knee OA were the ones that were selected for this study. Studies that examined balance and falls in the osteoarthritis of other joints, as well as those involving other disabilities that affect balance and stability were excluded from the study. Finally, 34 articles were selected from the final evaluation. Most of the studies showed that exercise and dance could be effective to improve balance and reducing falls in patients with knee OA. It can be concluded that these interventions can help individuals with knee OA enhance their balance and reduce their risk of falling. Therefore, they might be viewed as promoting this population's health. Although games and neuroscientific interventions can be effective, more studies are needed in this field. Moreover, there are contradictory results regarding the effect of orthotics.