Cycling for muscle strength in Knee Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis impacted the muscular strength and joint biomechanics of the lower limbs, mainly affecting the knee joint. Previous studies showed that static cycling had a significant effect on knee osteoarthritis by reducing pain, increasing quality of life, and strengthening the musculature of the lower extremities. However, there were no studies that explored the combined effect of forward and backward cycling on patients with knee osteoarthritis at grades 1, 2, and 3. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of static cycle training with conventional treatment in patients with knee osteoarthritis at grades 1, 2, and 3. The methodology involved recruiting 45 patients based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The participants were randomly allocated into two groups through permuted block randomization with a fixed technique. Group 1 received conventional treatment along with forward and backward cycling, while Group 2 underwent forward and backward cycling exercise training exclusively. Pre-test and post-test assessments were conducted using the CKOAI scale and an isokinetic dynamometer. The treatment protocol involved 22-minute sessions, three times per week, for a total of four weeks. For the results, the Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check for normality. If the data distribution was normal, parametric tests were applied. The paired t-test was used for within-group analysis, and the independent t-test for between-group comparisons. If the data did not follow a normal distribution, non-parametric tests were employed: the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test for within-group analysis and the Mann-Whitney U test for between-group analysis