Citation

Manlapaz DG, Sole G, Jayakaran P, Chapple CM. PM R 2019; 11(7): 745-757.

Affiliation

Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, New Zealand.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1002/pmrj.12066

PMID

30609282

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Falls are often reported by individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Despite the increasing number of falls, the contributors underlying the occurrence of falls in individuals with knee OA are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the evidence of risk factors for falls in adults with knee OA.

DESIGN: Systematic Review METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed in nine electronic databases from inception to July 2016. Two reviewers screened articles using set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Observational study designs that included participants with knee OA and history of falls were considered.

RESULTS reported as odds ratios, relative risks, prevalence ratios or hazard ratios were extracted to identify the potential risk factors for falls. Included articles were assessed for methodological quality and level of evidence.

RESULTS: The electronic data search yielded 4382 studies related to falls and knee OA. A total of 11 studies were included in the review. The risk factors for falls in individuals with knee OA included impaired balance, muscle weakness, presence of comorbidities, and increasing number of symptomatic joint. Presence of knee pain was also identified as risk factors for falls; however, the strength of evidence was conflicting due to the inconsistency of the findings. Limited evidence was found for knee instability, impaired proprioception and use of walking aids.

CONCLUSION: This review provides an evidence of risk factors for falls in individuals with knee OA. Although moderate and limited evidence was found, identification of this risk factors can be valuable information both for clinicians and fall prevention program developers. Further studies are warranted to examine modifiable risk factors for falls in a knee OA population. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Language: en