OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) and full-body-weight treadmill training (FBWTT) on patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Design was randomized controlled trial. Patients with knee osteoarthritis (n = 30; mean age 76.0 +/- 7.5 y) were randomly assigned to BWSTT or FBWTT group. All patients performed 20 min walking exercise twice a week for 6 weeks under the supervision of the therapist. Main measures were 10-meter walking test (10MWT), functional reach test (FRT), timed get up and go test (TUG), one-leg standing test, 6-minute walking test (6MWT), the parameters set on the treadmill, MOS Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF36), Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM). RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (10 men, 15 women; mean age 76.5 +/- 8.0 y) completed the experiment. Exercise capacity, indicated by the heart rate, was similar in both groups. After 3 weeks of BWSTT, the patients performed significantly better in the 10-m and 6-min walking tests. This was not the case with FBWTT even after 6 weeks training. Pain levels assessed were significantly improved after 3 weeks of BWSTT and 6 weeks of FBWTT. There were no significant improvements in either group assessed by the FRT, one-leg standing time test, TUG, or SF-36 questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: BWSTT enhanced exercise capacity in terms of walking speed and pain reduction after 3 weeks; however, there was no significant improvement in patients' functional abilities or quality of life.

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