Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine 59 (2016) 133
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Editorial
Osteoarthritis in physical medicine and rehabilitation
The increasing prevalence of osteoarthritis (OA), due mainly to
ageing and lifestyle risk factors (obesity, sedentarity and sport
injuries) heightens the importance of addressing OA rehabilitation
in the practice of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PRM). Non-
pharmacological interventions are now the first-line OA therapies
worldwide [1]. Thus, the number of patients referred to PMR
physicians is expected to increase in the future. PMR physicians
have to play a pivotal role in the management of OA especially with
respect to biomechanical and exercise interventions and self-care
enhancement.
Eight years ago, the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
French Society (Sofmer) in association with Rheumatology French
Society (SFR) and Orthopaedic French Society (SOFCOT) proposed
specific guidelines concerning non-pharmacological treatments
based on a novel methodology involving not only evidence-based
data but also physician daily practice and thereby to bridge
evidence-based medicine with evidence-based practice [2]. To our
knowledge, these guidelines were the first to provide both precise
and practical recommendations related to exercise, orthoses and
perioperative management of OA.
After the publication of these guidelines, the Annals of Physical
and Rehabilitation Medicine has featured papers on both medical
and surgical management of OA including published studies
concerning various topics such as assessment of OA [3,4], spa
therapy and rehabilitation [5] and orthoses [6].
This special issue on OA covers a wide range of subjects from
bench to bedside. The first subject relates to epidemiologic aspects
of OA, particularly burden of disease (Palazzo C). The second
addresses some fundamental aspects of disease and perspectives
for the future (Guicheux J, Henrontin Y, Musumeci G, Duclos M).
The third focuses on OA imaging (Guermazi A) and intra-articular
injections (Nguyen C). Fourth, a number of articles focus on non-
pharmacological treatments like exercise (Nguyen C), physical
activity (Lefevre-Colau MM), self-care (Gay C) and spa therapy
(Forestier R) and new approaches to rehabilitation (Coudeyre E).
The barriers and facilitators related to implementation of these
therapies are also discussed. Finally, the topics of conservative
surgical treatments and joint replacement (de l’Escalopier N) are
addressed. Future research opportunities and needs in OA are also
highlighted particularly as they relate to OA pathophysiology and
exercise prescriptions personalized to patient phenotypes.
We hope that this special issue will be of interest for the OA
world community. It is further hoped that this large review will
assist physicians involved in OA management worldwide to better
understand this disease and to improve their everyday treatment
practices.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rehab.2016.05.002
1877-0657/ß 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Disclosure of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interest.
References
[1] McAlindon TE, Bannuru RR, Sullivan MC, et al. OARSI guidelines for the non-
surgical management of knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2014;22:
363–88.
[2] Rannou F, Coudeyre E, Ribinik P, Mace Y, Poiraudeau S, Revel M. Establishing
recommendations for physical medicine and rehabilitation: the SOFMER meth-
odology. Ann Readapt Med Phys 2007;50:106–10.
[3] Couraud G, Escalas C, Etcheto A, Rannou F, Poiraudeau S. French adaptation and
validation of the Osteoarthritis Quality of Life scale. Ann Phys Rehabil Med
2015;58:336–42.
[4] Coudeyre E, Eschalier B, Descamps S, Claeys A, Boisgard S, Noirfalize C, et al.
Transcultural validation of the Risk Assessment and Predictor Tool (RAPT) to
predict discharge outcomes after total hip replacement. Ann Phys Rehabil Med
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[5] Fazaa A, Souabni L, Ben Abdelghani K, et al. Comparison of the clinical effec-
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[6] Ornetti P, Fortunet C, Morisset C, Gremeaux V, Maillefert JF, Casillas JM, et al.
Clinical effectiveness and safety of a distraction-rotation knee brace for medial
knee osteoarthritis. Ann Phys Rehabil Med 2015;58:126–31.
Associate editor, Professor of medicine
Emmanuel Coudeyre MD, PhD
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department, Clermont-Ferrand
university Hospital, Clermont-Auvergne University, Clermont-Ferrand,
France
Professor of medicine
Virginia Byers Kraus MD, PhD
Division of Rheumatology, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke
University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27701-2047, United States
Associate editor, Professor of medicine
François Rannou MD, PhD *
Department of Rehabilitation, Institute of Rheumatology, Cochin
Hospital, AP–HP, Inserm U1124, team 2 leader: Pharmacology,
Toxicology, and Cell Signalling of Cartilage and Intervertebral Disc,
University Paris Descartes, Paris, France
*Corresponding author
E-mail addresses: ecoudeyre@chu-clermontferrand.fr (E. Coudeyre),
vbk@duke.edu (V. Byers Kraus), francois.rannou@aphp.fr (F. Rannou)
Received 18 May 2016
Accepted 18 May 2016