EVALUATION OF BALANCE PROBLEMS IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AND ITS IMPACT ON ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS OF PESHAWAR

Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the breakdown of cartilage and bone in the joints. Knee osteoarthritis is caused when cartilage in knee joint breaks down. Although the etiology of osteoarthritis in the knee limits its complete cure but certain treatments aids in mitigation of symptoms and decelerates the progression of disease. Objective: To evaluate balance problems in patients with knee osteoarthritis and the subsequent impact on their performance of activities of daily living at tertiary care hospitals in Peshawar. Material & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of six months. To collect the data, 95 osteoarthritis patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were recruited from the tertiary healthcare centers in Peshawar via convenience sampling technique. For the assessment of balance, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) was used. Additionally, Romberg’s test and Functional Reach Tests were performed. SPSS version 23 was used to analyze the data. Results: Out of a total 95 participants, 62(65.3%) were males while only 33(34.7%) were females. Regarding the prevalence of risk of fall among the recruited individuals, the study revealed that participants with a higher risk were 49 (51.58%), moderate risk were 36 (37.9%) while those with a low risk were only 10 (10.52%). Conclusion: To conclude, males exhibited a higher risk of balance issues compared to females. Furthermore, patients experiencing balance deficits and associated risk of fall were linked to advanced age, thus having an adverse impact on one’s daily living.