A Comparative Study of Maitland Mobilisation Combined With Multimodal Physiotherapy Approaches on Pain, Function and Quality of Life in Postmenopausal Women With Bilateral Knee Osteoarthritis

Background: Knee osteoarthritis is a common degenerative musculoskeletal disorder characterised by pain, joint stiffness, reduced range of motion and functional limitations. The condition is particularly prevalent among postmenopausal women due to hormonal changes and age-related degeneration. Multimodal physiotherapy approaches incorporating manual therapy, electrotherapy and therapeutic exercises are widely used for its management; however, limited evidence exists comparing the effectiveness of combination of these interventions in postmenopausal women with bilateral knee osteoarthritis. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of Maitland Mobilisation combined with Therapeutic Ultrasound, Isometric exercises, Dynamic Quads and Maitland Mobilisation combined with Interferential Current Therapy, Multiple-Angle Isometrics and Mini-squats in postmenopausal women with bilateral knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Sixty postmenopausal women aged 40-60 years diagnosed with bilateral knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren Lawrence grade II-III) were randomly allocated into two groups. Group A received Maitland Mobilisation with Therapeutic Ultrasound, Isometric exercises and Dynamic Quads whereas Group B received Maitland Mobilisation with Interferential Current Therapy, Multiple-Angle Isometrics and Mini-squats. Interventions were administered for three sessions per week for four weeks. Outcome measures included NPRS (Numeric Pain Rating Scale), Range of Motion (ROM), Manual Muscle Testing (MMT), WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) and WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF). Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in reduction of pain, increase in ROM, muscle strength, functional status and quality of life (p <0.05). However, the interventions used in Group B demonstrated comparatively greater improvement in all the outcome measures. Conclusion: The findings highlight the clinical relevance and effectiveness of both multimodal physiotherapy approaches in the management of bilateral knee osteoarthritis in postmenopausal women. The protocol implemented in Group B produced comparatively superior outcomes.