Patient Perceptions of Physiotherapy for Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis: a Qualitative Study.

Abstract

Physiotherapy is a mainstay treatment of osteoarthritis plays a central role in the management of patients with functional limitations. Though physiotherapy is recommended as the main treatment, there is conflicting evidence in literature on perception of patients with osteoarthritis on the benefits of physiotherapy. The main objective was to explore the perceptions of patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis on benefits of physiotherapy. Purposive sampling was used in the study. Ten patients already diagnosed with hip or knee osteoarthritis were sampled. In-depth one to one interviews were conducted and interviews were recorded and transcribed, then themes were generated and analyzed. Four main themes emerged. These were perception of physiotherapy by patients, reduction of pain, improvement of physical function, and need of more information. The study showed that the majority of patients with osteoarthritis of the hip and knee view physiotherapy as beneficial. Most said that physiotherapy treatment has resulted in reduction of pain and improvement of physical function.