Valgus Knee Braces May Have No Long-term Effect on Pain Improvement and Functional Activity in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials

Abstract

Background:KOA as a high incidence of old age seriously affects the quality of life of the elderly. The valgus knee bracesareaimportantphysical therapy for KOA, but its specific effect is not clear.This meta-analysisis to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of valgus knee braces on pain and function improvement in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Methods :A meta-analysis of clinical randomized controlled trials(RCTs) on pain and functional changes in patients with KOA after using valgus knee braces. The search period is from the self-built database to May 2020, and the search range is PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. First, two authors independently screened the literature, formulated inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, and determined the included literature. The researchers then extracted the interventions and outcome indicators of included literature, and assessed the risk of bias through Cochrane Handbook 5.0.1. Finally, Revman5.3 was used for data analysis.Results :A total of 10 articles were included in this study, including 739 patients. 8 articles related to the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain score, the results showed that RR = -0.29, 95% CI [-0.73, 0.15], P = 0.20; There were 4 articles on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) function score, the results showed that RR = -0.15, 95% CI [-0.41,0.11], P = 0.26; Two articles related to the impact of Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) score, the results showed that RR = 0.58, 95% CI [-4.25, 5.42], P = 0.81; 3articles were related to KOOS activities of daily living (KOOS-ADL) score, the results showed that RR = 0.04, 95% CI [-0.62,0.69], P = 0.91.These results indicated that the valgus knee braces have no statistically significant in pain and functional activity improvement of patients with KOA. The subgroup analysis showed that the follow-up time was the source of the heterogeneity of the VAS pain score. Conclusion :The current evidence suggests that valgus knee braces may not effectively improve pain symptom and functional activity in KOA patients in the long-term, but only benefit KOA patients in the short-term.