Abstract

INTRODUCTION: While strengthening and aerobic exercise have been shown to decrease chronic knee and hip pain, little is known about the effectiveness of Egoscue corrective exercises, which are intended to reduce musculoskeletal pain by bringing the body into postural alignment. PURPOSE: An experimental study to determine the acute effect following one treatment and the short-term effect after a 2 week program of Egoscue corrective exercises on knee pain, hip pain, and whole-body postural alignment. METHODS: Forty participants with chronic knee and/or hip pain (defined as pain on most days of the week for at least the previous 12 weeks) were randomly assigned and equally divided between an exercise group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). The exercise group completed a corrective exercise routine, as per the Egoscue Method, at least 5 d/wk for two weeks. The control group simply maintained their current lifestyle for the 2-week duration of the study. All participants kept a daily log of their average pain levels at rest and during movement using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Standing posture was assessed using PostureScreen Mobile® and pain and function were recorded using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) at baseline and at the end of week 1 and 2. RESULTS: The exercise group experienced a significant decrease in pain during everyday movement as reported in daily VAS logs (p = 0.019). After controlling for age, BMI, past surgeries, arthritis status, and location of pain, there was a significant group x time interaction in WOMAC scores (p = 0.015). At week 2, WOMAC scores were significantly lower in the exercise group (p = 0.001) but not the control group (p > 0.05). Pain was not significantly different after one treatment. No significant changes in posture were observed in this study. CONCLUSION: Two weeks of corrective exercises significantly decreased knee and hip pain and improved function. Although an observable change in posture was not detected, further research is warranted to investigate the effects of Egoscue corrective exercises on posture over longer periods of time.

Degree

College and Department

Life Sciences; Exercise Sciences

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