The Effect of a Group Exercise Intervention on Balance in People With Knee Osteoarthritis: a Pilot Study

The Effect of a Group Exercise Intervention on Balance in People With Knee Osteoarthritis: a Pilot Study

In this study, the investigators want to find out if a 12-week exercise program improves balance in people with knee osteoarthritis.

This study will involve two visits to the School of Kinesiology at the University of the Fraser Valley (Chilliwack campus). Each visit will last approximately one hour. Participants will be asked to fill out questionnaires and complete a balance test. In between visits, participants will complete 12 weeks of an exercise program specifically designed for adults with osteoarthritis. Participants will do the exercise classes twice per week. Classes can be done in person or at home

Each exercise class is 45-minutes long and consists of flexibility, strength, and coordination exercises. In each class there are options to either increase or decrease the intensity of each exercise to cater to varying fitness levels and fluctuating symptoms. Each exercise has an assisted (using a chair for balance), body weight, and resisted (weight or exercise tubing) option. Participants will fill out an exercise diary each week to let the investigators know what days they did the exercise classes, and whether they experienced any changes in their knee osteoarthritis symptoms.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Medial compartment knee osteoarthritis, diagnosed from a physician or meeting the American College of Rheumatology Clinical Classification Criteria for Osteoarthritis of the knee
• Pass the Get Active Questionnaire to ensure that they are safe to begin an exercise program

Exclusion Criteria:

i) severe knee trauma, knee surgery, or intraarticular knee joint injections in the previous six months ii) active synovitis iii) concurrent neurological (i.e. Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's dementia, or polyneuropathy), endocrine (i.e., diabetes mellitus) and/or vestibular disorders which may affect balance iv) chronic disease that may put them at risk during the exercise classes (i.e., history of heart failure, stroke, chronic obstructive lung disease) v) uncorrected visual impairment which may affect balance vi) an inflammatory rheumatic disease (i.e., rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and chronic reactive arthritis)