At a glance
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Group Physical Therapy for Veterans With Knee Osteoarthritis
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Group Physical Therapy for Knee OA and Individual Physical Therapy for Knee OA for Osteoarthritis. Completed, enrolled 320 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
Pain management is a priority for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system, and knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a main cause of chronic pain. Veterans who receive care within the VA health care system have higher rates and more severe OA than both the general population of adults and veterans who receive health care elsewhere. Physical therapy (PT) is a primary part of treatment for knee OA, but in the VA health care system PT appointments are a limited resource, and veterans often do not receive enough visits to promote long-term improvements in pain and physical function. New models of delivery, such as the group-based approach examined in this study, are needed to expand PT services in a cost-effective manner.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
The group PT arm will include 6 1 to 1 hour visits (every other week) led by a physical therapist and exercise physiologist or PT Assistant, with 8 participants per group. The group PT sessions will include group instruction in joint care (activity pacing and joint projection), group discussion of exercise successes and barriers, group exercise, and scheduled individual consultations with the physical therapist (2 per participant, 15-20 minutes each) to address specific functional and therapeutic needs. Participants will also be given instructions for a home exercise program.
The individual PT arm, modeled after typical PT care for knee OA at the Durham VAMC and other health care settings, will include 2 1-hour visits with a physical therapist, 2-3 weeks apart. While the individual PT sessions will differ in structure from the group PT sessions they will include the same informational, assessment, and therapeutic content as the group sessions. Participants in this group will also be given instructions for the same home exercise program.