Effect of neurodynamic mobilization on lower limb function in patients with mild post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis

doi:10.5312/wjo.v17.i1.111927

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World Journal of Orthopedics

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2218-5836

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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA

Randomized Controlled Trial

World J Orthop. Jan 18, 2026; 17(1): 111927
Published online Jan 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v17.i1.111927

Effect of neurodynamic mobilization on lower limb function in patients with mild post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis

Jun-Rong Hu, Meng-Xiao He, Shan-Shan Wei, Han-Wen Ren, Cheng-Hao Liu, Xiao-Long Liu, Zhen-Cheng Chen

Jun-Rong Hu, Department of Sports, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

Meng-Xiao He, School of Physical Education and Health, Guilin University, Guilin 541006, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

Shan-Shan Wei, Han-Wen Ren, Cheng-Hao Liu, Xiao-Long Liu, Zhen-Cheng Chen, School of Life and Environmental Science, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China

Co-first authors: Jun-Rong Hu and Meng-Xiao He.

Co-corresponding authors: Xiao-Long Liu and Zhen-Cheng Chen.

Author contributions: Hu JR and He MX contributed to investigation and they contributed equally to this manuscript as co-first authors; Hu JR and Chen ZC contributed to supervision; Hu JR, He MX, Wei SS, and Liu XL contributed to writing and review; Hu JR and Chen ZC participated in the project management; He MX, Wei SS, and Liu XL edited the manuscript; He MX contributed to the methodology, data curation, and funding acquisition; Wei SS contributed to formal analysis and resources; Ren HW and Liu CH contributed to experimental implementation; Liu XL and Chen ZC contributed equally to this manuscript as co-corresponding authors; Chen ZC is responsible for the overall responsibility. All authors have read and approve the final manuscript.

Supported by the Central Guided Local Science and Technology Development Fund Project for Science and Technology Innovation Base Construction, No. Guike ZY24212046; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. U22A2092; Guangxi Education Science “the 14^th Five-Year Plan” 2024 Special Project “Research on Steam Education Practice in Rehabilitation Engineering”, No. 2024ZJY304; the Research Basic Ability Enhancement Program for Young and Middle-aged Teachers of Guangxi, No. 2025KY2255; and the Innovation Project of GUET Graduate Education, No. 2025YCXB010; Natural Science Research Project of Guilin Life and Health Career Technical College, No. 2025GKKY04.

Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Guilin Vocational College of Life and Health (approval No. GCPEH2024007).

Clinical trial registration statement: This study is registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/userProject). The registration identification number is 273206.

Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.

Data sharing statement: All data can be obtained from the corresponding author at 1171767934@qq.com.

Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Corresponding author: Xiao-Long Liu, PhD candidate, School of Life and Environmental Science, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Dongtian Village, Lingtian Town, Lingchuan County, Guilin 541004, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. 1171767934@qq.com

Received: July 14, 2025
Revised: August 17, 2025
Accepted: November 18, 2025
Published online: January 18, 2026
Processing time: 180 Days and 11.3 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The therapeutic role of neurodynamic mobilization in improving lower limb function in patients with mild post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis remains poorly understood.

AIM

To further elucidate the role of neurodynamic mobilization in facilitating knee joint functional recovery.

METHODS

Thirty-two patients with post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis treated at Chonghua Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Guilin) from March 2024 to August 2025 were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 16) or an intervention group (n = 16). Both groups received eight weeks of conventional treatment; and the intervention group additionally underwent neurodynamic mobilization. Outcomes including pain assessed by the visual analogue scale, active range of motion, Lysholm score, stork stand test, single hop test, and Y-balance test were assessed before and after the intervention.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences between the two groups in baseline characteristics, including gender, age, body mass index, or surgical side (P > 0.05). Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance demonstrated significant time × group interaction effects for the visual analogue scale score (F = 13.364, P < 0.05), Lysholm knee score (F = 20.385, P < 0.05), stork stand test (F = 103.756, P < 0.05), and Y-balance test score (F = 8.089, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Neurodynamic mobilization effectively reduces pain, improves knee function, and enhances lower limb balance in patients with mild post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis.

Keywords: Mild post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis; Neurodynamic mobilization; Lower limb function; Randomized controlled trial; Rehabilitation

Core Tip: This study presents an innovative integration of neurodynamic mobilization into conventional rehabilitation protocols for post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis, examining its effects on lower limb function in patients with mild post-traumatic knee osteoarthritis. An eight-week randomized controlled trial demonstrated that neurodynamic mobilization effectively alleviates pain, improves knee function, and enhances lower limb balance in these patients. These findings highlight the unique value of this technique in sensory-motor function restoration for early-stage traumatic knee osteoarthritis.