Long term effect of the Pilates method in a reconstructed knee with osteoarthritis: A case report

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most debilitating diseases, and a patient with a reconstructed knee could develop it early and lives with this condition for an average of 30-years. Furthermore, most studies focus on short-term results, not long-term. The purpose of this article is to show how a patient with reconstructed knees and OA improved clinical outcomes using the Pilates Method (PM) in the long term.

The patient was treated with common medical treatment for 10 years and then treated with the PM for 15 years. Authors used the biomechanics-based approaches, radiographic examination of the knees, magnetic resonance imaging, the numeric pain rating scale, range of motion (ROM), the Polestar fitness screening test (PFST), the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score questionnaire (KOOS), and the physical function performance-based tests (PFPBT) recommended by Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI).

There was an improvement in the evaluated outcomes when using the PM in the long term: a decrease in pain-related scores (constant pain = - 4; worst pain = - 5), improved ROM in 15°, improved stability in both knees (right Lackman Test (LT) = -1; left LT = - 2). When comparing the patient with healthy women in the middle age through the PFPBT her scores are above average, with no restrictions in performing daily activities and a good quality of life according with the KOOS questionnaire.

This case study suggests that long-term Pilates training may be useful for the treatment of pain, stiffness, and function in patients with reconstructed knees and OA.