Pain symptoms and bone marrow lesions improved when patients with osteoarthritis of the knee used a patellofemoral orthosis for treatment, according to recent study results presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego.
More than 120 patients with osteoarthritis between the ages of 40 and 70 years used a patellofemoral knee orthosis for 6 weeks. All patients had KL grade two or three patellofemoral osteoarthritis and an average pain score of 64.6 at the beginning of the study. Ninety patients who had MRI scans at the beginning of the study showed patellofemoral bone marrow lesions. Patients in the orthosis group wore a Bioskin patellar tracking Q brace for an average of 7.3 hours a day, while patients in the control group did not wear the orthosis.
At the beginning and end of the 6-week period, researchers gave patients questionnaires to measure symptoms like pain and tenderness, and conducted MRI scans to measure bone marrow lesions. Overall, patients who wore the knee orthosis showed significant reduction in patellofemoral joint pain, according to study results. Researchers also found the orthosis decreased the volume of bone marrow lesions in patients’ patellofemoral joint. However, study results showed the orthosis did not improve bone marrow lesions in the tibiofemoral joint.
For more information:
Felson DT. Abstract 1694. Presented at: The American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting; Oct. 25-30, 2013; San Diego, Calif.
Disclosure: The researchers have no relevant financial disclosures.
