THE EFFECT OF REGULAR EXERCISE PROGRAM AT HOME ON IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY IN THE ELDERLY WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A CLINICAL TRIAL STUDY

Knee osteoarthritis is associated with problems such as poor sleep quality. Finding effective, low-complication, and cost-effective measures to improve the sleep quality of these patients seems necessary. The aim of this study was to determine a regular exercise program at home to improve the sleep quality of the elderly with osteoarthritis of the knee.

In this clinical trial study, 72 elderly patients referred to the orthopedic clinic of Allameh Bohlool Gonabadi Hospital in Gonabad were selected by convenience sampling and assigned into the intervention and control groups by block randomization method. The intervention group underwent an exercise program at home for one month after a face-to-face training course. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was completed by both groups before and 4 weeks after the intervention. In order to observe the ethical points for the control group, at the end of the study, the necessary trainings were given along with the pamphlet. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 18 and descriptive and analytical statistical methods.

Before the intervention, all demographic variables were not statistically significant in the experimental and control groups. After the intervention, there was a significant difference between the two groups (total sleep quality score and other sleep quality subscales), except for two subscales of mental sleep quality and sleep disturbances (p <0.05).

The present study showed that doing exercise at home improves the sleep quality of the elderly with osteoarthritis of the knee.