Manual Therapy (Postisometric Relaxation and Joint Mobilization) in Knee Pain and Function Experienced by Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized Clinical Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of manual therapy on the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with knee pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a small, randomized clinical pilot study. Subjects were 46 patients with diagnosed RA, randomly assigned to the manual therapy group (postisometric relaxation and joint mobilization) or control group (standard exercise). Subjects in each group had 10 sessions of interventions, once a day with one day break after the sixth day. Outcomes included the pain intensity of knee, Knee Society Score, Oxford Knee Score, and Health Assessment Questionnaire. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between groups, except for the pain intensity of the knee. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that manual therapy (postisometric relaxation and joint mobilization) may have clinical benefits for treating knee pain and function in rheumatoid patients. Further extended studies are expected to determine the effectiveness of manual therapy in RA patients with knee pain.