{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,10]],"date-time":"2026-10-10T13:22:45Z","timestamp":1791638565568,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,13]],"date-time":"2023-02-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1676246400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Shandong Province Young Innovative Talent Introduction and Cultivation Program","award":["2019-183"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2019-183"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["12102235"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["12102235"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching in relieving pain and balancing knee loading during stepping over obstacles among older people with knee osteoarthritis, and further explore the improvements in gait patterns.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Thirty-two older adults (66~72 years) with KOA were recruited and randomly assigned into PNF or control groups. They received PNF stretching or health lecture series for 8 weeks. Final data analyses were conducted among 13 participants in the PNF and 14 in the control groups. At weeks 0 and 9, they were asked to step over an obstacle of 20% of their leg length. The pain scores and knee abduction moment (KAM) (primary outcomes) were analyzed by multivariate ANOVA, and the gait variables (secondary outcomes) were analyzed by two-way (group by pre-\/post) ANOVAs with repeated measures.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Significant interactions were detected in the pain score, first and second peaks of KAM, and crossing velocity during stepping over obstacles, and significant between-group differences of these outcomes were detected at week 9.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>An 8-week PNF stretching could relieve pain and balance loading between knee compartments, as well as increase crossing velocity during stepping over obstacles.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n<jats:title>Trial registration<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: <jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" ext-link-type=\"uri\" xlink:href=\"https:\/\/www.chictr.org.cn\/showprojen.aspx?proj=120411\" xlink:type=\"simple\">ChiCTR2100042278<\/jats:ext-link>.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0280941","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,13]],"date-time":"2023-02-13T19:28:28Z","timestamp":1676316508000},"page":"e0280941","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":27,"title":["Effects of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching in relieving pain and balancing knee loading during stepping over obstacles among older adults with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Bo","family":"Gao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5902-9762","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Li","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peixin","family":"Shen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhipeng","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peiming","family":"Xu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Sun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cui","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4103-9193","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Qipeng","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,13]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0280941.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.1097\/00003677-200510000-00008","article-title":"The role of mechanical loading in the onset and progression of osteoarthritis","volume":"33","author":"T Griffin","year":"2005","journal-title":"Exercise and sport sciences reviews"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0280941.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joca.2012.11.012","article-title":"Osteoarthritis as an inflammatory disease (osteoarthritis is not osteoarthrosis!)","volume":"21","author":"F. 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