Using Generalized Estimating Equations to Compare the Effect of Two Methods in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis

Background: We aimed to compare the effect of two different treatment methods on severity pain in patients with severe knee osteoarthritis.
Materials and Methods: A total of 40 female patients with severe knee OA were randomly assigned into two parallel groups: An intervention group received standard physiotherapy treatment accompanied by knee traction, and a control group received only standard physiotherapy treatment. Both groups were subjected to a follow-up period of 5 weeks (10 times). Generalized Estimating Equations model was used to estimate the odds of a pain as a function of the groups adjusted for potential confounders.
Results: Using intervention as the reference group, the pain odds ratios was 3.17 (95% CI: 1.24—8.09) for control group.
Conclusion: We would recommend using of the common physiotherapy treatment accompanied by knee traction instead of common physiotherapy procedure in patients with severe knee OA.