To investigate the effects of knee osteoarthritis (OA) on activities of daily living and motor and functional improvement in stroke patients with hemiparesis.
This prospective case-controlled study included 60 inpatients (44 women, 16 men; mean age 66.1 ± 7.6 years, range 51-79 years) with hemiparesis after stroke. Main outcome measures included the Brunnstrom motor recovery stages of the lower extremity, Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), Barthel index, knee pain as assessed by a VAS, and radiographic severity of knee OA based on the Kellgren-Lawrence (K/L) criteria.
Between improvements in FAC score and time since stroke , Barthel score, knee pain at rest, K/L radiological grade revealed weak but significant correlations (r: 0.254-0.393) (p< 0.05). Regression analysis revealed that time since stroke, knee pain at rest and radiologically knee osteoarthritis had a significant effect on the improvement in ambulation level (r=0.134, p=0.001; r=0.137, p<0.05; r=-0.007, p< 0.05; respectively).
The present study shows that knee OA had a negative effect on ambulation levels in hemiplegic patients after stroke. Thus, knee pain at rest and knee osteoarthritis could be evaluated as a functional outcome factor for the improvement of the ambulation levels within stroke patients.