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Effectiveness of an elastic knee sleeve for patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized single-blinded controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES
To study the effectiveness of elastic sleeves in patients with knee osteoarthritis (knee OA).


METHOD
Patients with knee OA attending the outpatient clinic of Siriraj Hospital, who met the eligibility criteria, were randomly allocated to receive an 8-week treatment protocol. The control group received acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and education. The study group received the same treatment, in combination with a daytime elastic knee sleeve. Primary outcome variable included change in aggregated functional performance time (AFPT).


RESULTS
In the immediate period after treatment, the study group had a mean improvement in AFPT of 1.63 seconds more than the control group (95% CI: 0.21-3.05, p = 0.025). At the end of the 8th week, the changes of AFPT were not statistically different between the two groups.


CONCLUSION
This study shows small short-term beneficial effects of an elastic sleeve in patients with knee OA in cases with acute exacerbation.