To evaluate the effectiveness of Maitland technique in treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis in female patients

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of knee osteoarthritis treatment with Maitland technique over general exercises in aged female patients. Methodology: A Cross sectional experimental study was performed on 80 osteoarthritic female patients of age between 45-60 years which were randomly selected from LNH. They were divided into 2 groups of 40 patients each. Group A received Maitland technique application while Group B received general knee ROM ex’s. All participants have received 24 sessions of Maitland and general exercises. Data has been collected and analyzed on SPSS 20through assessment form used by Physiotherapist via pre-and post-evaluation of Visual Analogue Scale, Muscle Power, Muscle Tone and Range of Motion. Results: The results revealed that Group A having visual analogue scale score =5.4 ±0.9, while Group B having visual analogue scale score=6.25±1.4, the muscle power was 5.0±4.8 in group A, while in group B it was4.05 ±0.58, Geno-Flexion of group A was 129.5±5.2, Geno-Flexion of group B was 121.57±10.9. The results of all tests were significant with the P-value < 0.05 of Group A as compared to B. Discussion: During the OA of knee joint the decrement of a proteoglycan content of cartilage and the disintegration of collagen fibers occurs, which leads to rise in water content so there will be loss of osmotic pressure. The net result will be the degradation of cartilage, as proteoglycan has protective effects on collagen fibers. Conclusion: It was concluded that Maitland technique relieved more effectively the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis in females than general exercises.