Development of a mobile application to improve exercise accuracy and quality of life in knee osteoarthritis patients: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that needs consistent exercise and an accurate understanding of the condition for long-term maintenance. While the accessibility of outpatient care is essential for disease management, many patients lack the resources to receive adequate healthcare. To address this challenge, we developed a not-for-profit interactive mobile application that provides a disease-specific educational background and a structured exercise regimen to patients. Material and methods “Rak Kao” (English translation: Love-Your-Knee) mobile application was designed to analyze the questionnaire data to assess the stage of knee OA and generate a personalized recommendation of treatment and exercise type using rule-based and Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques. A single-blinded study was conducted with patients ( n = 82) who were randomly assigned to the mobile application group (M-group) and the handout group (H-group). Patient groups were controlled for age, gender, BMI, onset of pain, grade of disease, education level, and occupation. Accuracy in performance of three prescribed knee exercises (catch-bend-down, stretch-touch-feet, and sit-stretch-hold) was evaluated. Clinical outcomes were evaluated before and after the 4-weeks program to assess the range of motion, symptoms, pain, physical activity, and quality of life via the KOOS and KSS scores. Results Completion of the study led to significantly more overall exercise accuracy in the M-group (76.2%) than the H-group (52.5%). Activities of daily life, quality of life, ability to do sports and recreational activities were significantly more improved in the M-group than the H-group ( p < .01). No difference in the range of motion between groups. Satisfaction of patients’ experience was higher in the M-group than the H-group ( p = .001) after the 4-week regimen. Conclusions With the better accuracy and outcomes for rehabilitation in the M-group than the H-group, we strongly recommend using our mobile application as a better alternative than handouts for exercises and information for patients with knee OA. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03666585

Does a home-based exercise program play any role in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis? A meta-analysis

“…A demographic summary of the patients with event data extracted from the included studies is summarized in Table 1. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] To assess the efficacy and safety of HBEs for the treatment of mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis in comparison with various pain relievers, data from randomized controlled trials were extracted. In these studies, patients from different age groups were treated with different exercises or control treatments; their Western Ontario and Mc-Master Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were measured, and changes in clinical symptoms were observed.…”

“…17 Rewald et al 18 suggest aquatic cycling exercises and swimming, and Makarm et al 19 support stretching for the hamstring and quadriceps muscles as effective strengthening HBE programs. Thiengwittayaporn et al 20 support knee bending exercises, and Gohir et al 21 mention hamstring and quadricep musclestrengthening exercise programs as effective ways to reduce the symptoms associated with knee osteoarthritis.…”

Behaviour change interventions based on automated and tailored communication systems to improve health outcomes in adult chronic patients: a systematic review

“…A total of 7 studies were included in this review, 6 of which were randomised controlled trials [29,30,31,32,33,34] and one was a pilot randomised controlled trial [35]. Population types included stroke survivors [35], and patients with diabetes type-2 [29,31,34], chronic kidney disease [33], osteoarthritis [30] and ischaemic heart disease [32].…”

“…A total of 7 studies were included in this review, 6 of which were randomised controlled trials [29,30,31,32,33,34] and one was a pilot randomised controlled trial [35]. Population types included stroke survivors [35], and patients with diabetes type-2 [29,31,34], chronic kidney disease [33], osteoarthritis [30] and ischaemic heart disease [32]. Table 1 summarises the characteristics of each study (i.e., study design, population characteristics, intervention description, time-frame and goals, groups' characterisation, feasibility, and impact outcomes).…”

Experiences of activity monitoring and perceptions of digital support among working individuals with hip and knee osteoarthritis – a focus group study

“…Other types of digital health are also used to support individuals with hip and knee OA. There are several examples of web-based platforms and mobile apps that offer digital support such as information, exercises, and feedback [32][33][34].…”