the effects of a knitting program on osteoarthritis symptoms in elderly women

Conditions: Osteoarthritis

Summary: this pilot randomized controlled trial (rct) studies the adherence and clinical effectiveness of a knitting program in older females suffering from hand osteoarthritis (hoa) to evaluate the acceptability of this intervention and assess the feasibility of a larger-scale rct. it is a single-blind, two-arm pilot rct with a parallel group design with 40 participants (20 control, 20 experimental). control participants are given an educational pamphlet and assigned to a waiting list. the knitting program (-8-week duration) has two components: bi-weekly 20-minute group knitting sessions and 20-minute home daily knitting on the 5 remaining weekdays. measures include knitting adherence (implementation outcomes) as well as stiffness, pain, functional status, hand physical activity level, patient's global impression of change, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, and grip strength (clinical outcomes measured throughout the 8-week program and 4 weeks after the intervention).

background: exercise therapy is effective in reducing symptoms and disability associated with hand osteoarthritis (hoa) but has low adherence. an intervention consisting in a meaningful occupation, such as knitting, may improve adherence to treatment. this pilot randomized controlled trial (rct) studies the adherence and clinical effectiveness of a knitting program in older females suffering from hoa to evaluate the acceptability of this intervention and assess the feasibility of a larger-scale rct. methods: single-blind, two-arm pilot rct with a parallel group design with 40 participants (20 control, 20 experimental). control participants are given an educational pamphlet and assigned to a waiting list. the knitting program (-8-week duration) has two components: bi-weekly 20-minute group knitting sessions and 20-minute home daily knitting on the 5 remaining weekdays. measures included knitting adherence (implementation outcomes) as well as stiffness, pain, functional status, hand physical activity level, patient's global impression of change, health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, and grip strength (clinical outcomes measured throughout the 8-week program and 4 weeks after the intervention).

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * meet the clinical and radiographic criteria of definite hoa set out by the american college of rheumatology (acr) and have experienced pain symptoms for at least 3 months; * be a woman aged between 50 and 85 years; 3) have moderate to severe morning stiffness (defined as a score ≥ 4 on a 10 cm visual analogue scale at the time of study entry; * display x-ray evidence of joint space narrowing of the hands; * have no previous experience with knitting or have not knitted in the last 6 months; * be available for sessions at the senior's club twice weekly; * be able to understand written and verbal english instructions. exclusion criteria: * suffered from other orthopedic or rheumatologic diseases (e.g., inflammatory arthritis), or showed evidence of chondrocalcinosis; * had a history of finger joint surgery; * suffered from an acute disease, such as uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, untreated hypertension, neurological deficits (motor or sensory), cognitive deficit or mental health conditions; * were taking oa medication that was expected to change during the study period; * were receiving current rehabilitation treatments or any other pain-related treatment besides medication for oa; * had received a corticosteroid injection in a finger joint within the last 6 months; * planned to move outside the region within 6 months.

Keywords: hand osteoarthritis exercise knitting women pain stiffness