Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40044448›Full record

ArticleMusculoskeletal care2025

Knee Bracing for Unicompartmental Osteoarthritis: A Service Evaluation.

Sarah Hetherington, Samantha Watson-Smith, Felicity Evison, Caroline Miller

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Musculoskeletal care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sarah HetheringtonPhysiotherapy Integrated Musculoskeletal Services Solihull Community, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
Samantha Watson-SmithPhysiotherapy Integrated Musculoskeletal Services Solihull Community, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
Felicity EvisonHealth Data Science Team, Research Development and Innovation, Institute for Translational Medicine, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9378-7548
Caroline MillerPhysiotherapy Services, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4866-0847

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis service evaluation examined the impact of offloader knee bracing for unicompartmental osteoarthritis (OA) on pain, quality of life (QoL) and activities of daily living (ADL).

designThe retrospective service evaluation was completed at two NHS community primary care clinics offering offloader knee bracing services. Between 2015 and 2023 patients prescribed offloader knee braces with unicompartmental osteoarthritis were invited to complete a Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) at baseline, one, six and 12 months and at two and three years. KOOS data were analysed to assess the change in ADL, Pain and QoL domains from baseline to one, six and twelve months and up to three years using a paired t-test. Demographic data collected included age, sex, and type of OA.

resultsTwo hundred and forty-three patients were issued an offloader knee brace. There were statistically significant differences in pain and ADL for both braces at one and six months (p < 0.05). Participants issued with an ÖSSUR brace demonstrated statistically significant changes in pain and ADL for up to two years (p = 0.0101; p = 0.0153) and QoL up to one year (p = 0.0011). There was no statistically significant difference in either brace at three years. The ÖSSUR brace demonstrated a minimal clinically significant difference at one month for all domains, at one year for pain and ADL and two and three years for pain, ADL and QoL.

conclusionsResults indicate that offloader knee bracing for unicompartmental knee OA could reduce patients' pain, ADL and QoL in the long term.

Indexed as

BracesOsteoarthritis, KneeActivities of Daily LivingAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeRetrospective Studiesbracingknee osteoarthritisphysiotherapyrehabilitationservice evaluation

Identifiers

PMID40044448
PMCPMC11882409

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.