Manual therapy has shown clinical results in patients with knee osteoarthritis. However, the biomechanical aspects during functional tasks have not been explored in depth.
Through surface electromyography, the medial and lateral co-contractions of the knee were measured while descending stairs, prior and posterior to applying a manual therapy protocol in the knee, with emphasis on techniques of joint mobilization and soft-tissue management.
Sixteen females with slight or moderate knee osteoarthritis were recruited (eight experimental, eight control). It was observed that the lateral co-contraction index of the experimental group, posterior to intervention, increased by 11.7% (p = 0.014).
The application of a manual therapy protocol with emphasis on techniques of joint mobilization and soft-tissue management modified lateral co-contraction, which would have a protective effect on the joint.