ABSTRACT:
Impact of knee osteoarthritis and its correlation with balance, fear of falls and quality of life.
Objective: To correlate balance, fear of falls and quality of life in
individuals with knee Osteoarthritis and age-matched controls using CBMS and FES,SF-36.
Methods: Fifty participants in the age group of 40-60 years were divided into Group A with diagnosed participants with knee Osteoarthritis using Kallgren-Lawerence scale and American college of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines and Group B with age matched controls. The balance, fear of falls and quality of life was assessed using CBMS Community Balance and Mobility Scale), FES (Falls Efficiency Scale) and SF-36 respectively.
Results: Balance was affected more in Group A (p value- 0.165)
Group A participants depicted more fear of falls(p value- <0.0001). The quality of life was poorer in Group A participants rather than matched controls (P value- <0.0001). Significant correlation was found between balance and fear of falling (r value: -0.4191). The affection of mental domain could be related to poor balance scores ( r value: 0.01049). The fear of fall could be related to poorer quality of life (r value: – 0.1352).
Conclusion: Knee osteoarthritis causes significant changes in the patient’s balance which is directly related to fear of falling which in turn has negative impact on quality of life.