Adherence of an Exercise Protocol on Balance and Lower Extremity Function in Postmenopausal Women With Osteoarthritic Knee Joint: A Comparative Study

Objective: The research examined postmenopausal women with osteoarthritic (OA) knee joints to understand their exercise adherence rate for an 8-week period as well as its impact on their balance and lower extremity function. Methods: Two groups of thirty participants received random assignment which placed half into Group A stable surface exercises and half into Group B unstable surface exercises. The research included Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Timed Up and Go (TUG) test assessments before and after the intervention period. A logbook and self-report questionnaire were used to monitor both adherences and feasibility levels. Results: The subjects in both exercise groups showed significant improvements in KOOS scores (Group A: 65.9±6.39 to 75.4±4.14; Group B: 58.1±3.91 to 64.3±4.83) yet participants in Group A achieved a larger improvement of 14.4% compared to Group B's improvement rate of 10.7%. The scores for TUG improved significantly in both groups (p<0.001) and showed no statistically important difference between the groups (p = 0.535). A high number of 82.5% patients experienced exercise tolerance through participation in the program. Conclusion: Postmenopausal women with OA underwent an 8-week exercise protocol that produced meaningful improvements in both balance abilities and lower limb functionalities. The improvements from stable surface training practices (Group A) exceeded those of unstable surface exercises which provides valuable knowledge for physiotherapy treatment protocols.