Clinical Classification of Knee OA Severity Using WOMAC and its Association with Fear of Falling and Functional Capacity

Abstract

Aim: To determine whether clinically classifying knee osteoarthritis (OA) using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) is as effective as radiological classification. Methodology: A total of 36 subjects with diagnosed knee OA who visited the physiotherapy OPD of ESI Hospital, Basaidarapur, New Delhi, India, were included in the present study. Procedure: Subjects were screened for cognitive ability using Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), fear of falling using Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (MFES) and functional capacity using time up and go test (TUG). Results: We found a significant difference in fear of falling and functional capacity between subjects with mild, moderate and severe OA. Analysis of MFES scores among sub-classification of OA subjects revealed a significant difference (P=0.005) between the groups. Subjects in the mild group had the maximum score thus, displaying the maximum confidence followed by subjects in the moderate and severe subcategories. Analysis of TUG scores showed a significant difference between the three subgroups (P=0.008). Subjects with mild OA had the least average timings followed by subjects in the moderate and severe groups. We also found a significant positive correlation between MFES scores and overall WOMAC scores (P=0.002)). Conclusion: Clinically assessing the severity of OA using WOMAC is an effective method for better assessment and treatment of patients in the absence of radiological evidence.

Keywords: Osteoarthritis (OA), The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), MFES, timed up and go test (TUG), falls

Cite this Article

Abhijeet Kaur, Prosenjit Patra, Aditi Patra. Clinical Classification of Knee OA Severity Using WOMAC and its Association with Fear of Falling and Functional Capacity. Research & Reviews: Journal of Medical Science and Technology. 2019; 8(3): 32–38p.