Physiotherapist’s approach and treatment preference in the patients of rheumatoid arthritis in Karachi, Pakistan: A cross sectional survey

Objective: To assess the treatment approach of physiotherapists towards patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Material & methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August 2016 among the 116 selected participants who were working in different physical therapy setups of Karachi Pakistan. A self-constructed questionnaire was used among the participants which consist of demographic Characteristics (age, gender, Qualification, and experience). While the Knowledge and utilization related close-ended questions were the 1. Type of exercise (isometrics and isotonic exercise), utilization of manual techniques (use of Maitland peripheral joint mobilization techniques, Cyrix mobilization techniques, Mulligan mobilization techniques & Manual joint distraction). 2. The use of electrotherapy modalities (use of TENS, Ultrasound, Cryotherapy & Heating) & 3. Treatment preference includes (results of manual therapy, electrotherapy or electrotherapy & manual therapy both in combination). Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Results: The majority of physiotherapists (n=71, 61.2%) belong to the age group of 31 to 45 years, and (n=71, 61.2%) were male. After checking the Qualification the majority (n=65, 56%) were Post-graduate and (n=62, 53.2%) were having 7 to 15 years of experience. Among all (n=94, 81%) of physiotherapists were using an isometric type of exercises in the patients with Rheumatoid arthritis. Most of (n=101, 87%) the Physiotherapist was using peripheral joint distraction in patients with Rheumatoid arthritis. The majority (n=109, 93.9%) of physiotherapists were using manual therapy and electrophysical agents in combination among the patients with Rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusion: The physiotherapists who are working in different setups of Karachi were treating the patients of RA by using different techniques of manual therapy along with the combination of electrophysical agents. In electrophysical agents, they were using the tens and heating combination for pain management.

Clinical and Biomechanical Progression after Ankle Joint Distraction in a Young Adolescent Patient with Haemophilia

Ankle joint distraction (AJD) has been described to be a valuable joint-sparing alternative to arthrodesis or arthroplasty; however, clinical endpoints associated to this surgical intervention are lacking. The current case report describes clinical and biomechanical outcome measures of ankle joint distraction in a 14-year-old patient with severe haemophilia A. Because of persistent and incapacitating pain and the poor response to conservative and invasive treatment options, ankle joint distraction was performed in this 14-year-old patient using an external fixator encompassing two Ilizarov full rings in the tibia and a foot ring fixed to the foot by four K-wires. State-of-the-art medical imaging and non-invasive skin marker-based 3D multi-segment foot modelling were performed in a pre- and post-operative stage. From a structural viewpoint, this AJD was a success since it improved and stabilised the osteo-cartilaginous lesions of the ankle. Biomechanical outcome measures associated with the 18-month follow-up were found to be suboptimal, showing an early plantarflexion pattern at the ankle joint during midstance and a tendency towards increased power absorption at the midfoot with peak power absorption being almost two times higher when compared to boys of the same age. From a functional viewpoint, we observed a clear reduction in the patients’ physical activities until one year after AJD. Despite these functional and structural improvements, recurrent painful phenomena, including the development of a complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and a stress fracture of the third metatarsal bone, were observed which are probably related with the development of recurrent subchondral oedema.

Enhanced Extracellular Matrix Breakdown Characterizes the Early Distraction Phase of Canine Knee Joint Distraction

Objective Joint distraction triggers intrinsic cartilage repair in animal models of osteoarthritis (OA), corroborating observations in human OA patients treated with joint distraction. The present study explores the still largely elusive mechanism initiating this repair process. Design Unilateral OA was induced in the knee joint of 8 dogs using the groove model; the contralateral joint served as a control. After 10 weeks, 4 animals received joint distraction, the other 4 serving as OA controls. Halfway the distraction period (after 4 weeks of a standard 8-week distraction treatment), all animals were euthanized, and joint tissues were collected. A targeted quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was performed of commonly involved processes including matrix catabolism/anabolism, inflammation, and known signaling pathways in OA. In addition, cartilage changes were determined on tissue sections using the canine OARSI (Osteoarthritis Research Society International) histopathology score and collagen type II (COL2A1) immunostaining. Results Midway distraction, the distracted OA joint showed an upregulation of proteolytic genes, for example, ADAMTS5, MMP9, MMP13, compared to OA alone and the healthy joints, which correlated with an increased OARSI score. Additionally, genes of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β and Notch pathway, and markers associated with progenitor cells were increased. Conclusions Joint distraction initiates both catabolic and anabolic transcriptional responses. The enhanced turnover, and thereby renewal of the matrix, could be the key to the cartilage repair observed in the months after joint distraction.

POS1091 KNEE JOINT DISTRACTION RESULTS IN MRI CARTILAGE THICKNESS INCREASE UP TO TEN YEARS AFTER TREATMENT

Background:Knee joint distraction (KJD) is a joint-preserving treatment option for younger (age <65 years) knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. It has shown clinical improvement for up to nine years after treatment. Radiographs and MRI scans have previously shown cartilage regeneration activity, especially in the first two years after treatment. However, MRIs have not been evaluated more than five years after this treatment.Objectives:To evaluate MRI cartilage thickness up to ten years after KJD treatment.Methods:Patients (n=20) with end-stage knee OA, indicated for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) but <60 years old, were treated with KJD. 3T MRIs with 3D spoiled gradient recalled imaging sequence with fat suppression (SPGR-fs) were acquired before and one, two, five, seven and ten years after surgical treatment. Stradview v6.0 was used for semi-automatic cartilage segmentation; wxRegSurf v18 was used for surface registration. MATLAB R2020a and the SurfStat MATLAB package were used for data analysis and visualization. For changes over time, linear mixed models were used. Two separate linear regression models were used to show the influence of baseline Kellgren-Lawrence grade and sex on the changes over time. Statistical significance was calculated with statistical parametric mapping; a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Since KJD has previously shown significant results mostly in the patients’ most affected compartment (MAC), patients were separated in two groups based on whether their MAC was the medial or lateral compartment.Results:The MAC was predominantly the medial side (medial MAC n=18; lateral n=2). The 18 patients with a medial MAC all had MRI scans at baseline, one and two years after treatment. After two years, some patients were lost to follow-up, decreasing data availability at five (n=15), seven (n=11) and ten years (n=7). Figure 1 (top) shows the average cartilage thickness at the different time points for all medial MAC patients together. One and two years after treatment the cartilage in the medial weight-bearing region was on average thicker than before treatment. While from five years after treatment the cartilage thickness gradually decreased, even at ten years the medial cartilage thickness seemed slightly higher than pre-treatment. Figure 1 (bottom) shows cartilage thickness changes compared to baseline for patients with a medial MAC. Patients with a lateral MAC showed a similar pattern, with the biggest changes showing on the lateral side. As indicated by the dark blue areas, the medial femoral cartilage thickness increase, which was up to 0.5 mm after one year and 0.6 mm after two years, was largely statistically significant at both these time points. While the medial tibia showed an increase of up to 0.5 mm at these time points as well, this was not statistically significant at two years. Surprisingly, long-term results showed areas of the lateral (less affected) compartment were significantly thicker, up to 0.7 mm, compared to pre-treatment in both the femur and tibia compared to baseline. Kellgren-Lawrence grade and sex were shown to influence the changes, albeit not statistically significantly. Patients with a higher Kellgren-Lawrence grade and male sex showed a higher short-term (one and two year) but a lower long-term (seven and ten year) cartilage thickness increase.Conclusion:KJD treatment results in significant short-term cartilage regeneration in the most affected compartment. While after two years this initial gain in cartilage thickness is gradually lost, likely as a result of natural progression, even ten years after treatment the cartilage is thicker than before treatment. In the less affected compartment, a delayed cartilage response seems to take place, with significantly increased cartilage thickness in the long term. In conclusion, in these young OA patients indicated for TKA, KJD results in femoral and tibial cartilaginous tissue regeneration both short- and long-term and in both sides of the joint.Disclosure of Interests:None declared.