The impact of medical gymnastics on load on the lower limb after knee twisting, on the basis of selected tests

Introduction: The issue of knee sprain is increasingly raised in connection with the large number of people that visit rehabilitation centres to recover efficiency and eliminate the pain of an injured joint.

Aim of the research study: To determine the usefulness of medical gymnastics (kinesiotherapy) in the process of limb loading and overcoming the discomfort and pain.

Material and methods: The study included 50 rehabilitated patients of the Rehabilitation Unit of the District Hospital in Staszow, who were troubled with a history of knee sprains. The subjects were selected from 327 patients admitted to the rehabilitation unit within a 3-month period. Two groups of subjects were established (each with 25 people). Evaluation was focused on certain parameters related to the load of the rehabilitated limb, the rate of occurrence of pain felt during standing and walking, and the disappearance of complaints during resting. The group consisted of patients aged 20–64 years, and the median age of those tested was 42 years. The patients came from villages and towns in the county of Staszow, and a significant percentage of them were economically active.

Results: The applied physiotherapy was beneficial as it increased the load on the diseased limbs (two-scales test and standing-on-one-leg test) and improved quality of life, thanks to the palliation of pain to a considerable or complete degree.

Conclusions: Physiotherapy enriched with physical exercise allows for faster recovery of an injured leg.