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Highlights
● Stretching exercises are recommended to correct knee flexion contracture, and uphill treadmill walking is a form of functional stretching.
● This study showed that physiotherapy combined with uphill walking improved pain, symptoms, and sport and recreation functions of patients with knee osteoarthritis after 10 sessions or 20-day follow-up.
● The physiotherapist may consider uphill treadmill walking when designing a physiotherapy program for patients with knee osteoarthritis to promote the results of the rehabilitation programs.
Plain Language Summary
Knee flexion contracture because of pain is a complication of knee osteoarthritis, which consequently exerts a great force on patellofemoral joint and accelerates the degeneration process. Slow, sustained stretching, and free range of motion exercises are suggested to correct knee flexion contracture, which can be performed by uphill walking. This study aimed at comparing the effectiveness of physiotherapy with uphill walking versus physiotherapy alone on disability in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. The study intervention group received a ten-session physiotherapy program with an uphill treadmill walking, and the control group received the same physiotherapy program alone. The results showed that physiotherapy combined with uphill walking provided improvements in pain, symptoms, and sport and recreation functions in patients with knee osteoarthritis which did not improve as a result of physiotherapy alone. Thus, it is recommended to promote the results of physiotherapy by uphill treadmill walking