International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 109 Vol.8; Issue: 11; November 2018 International Journal of Health Sciences and Research www.ijhsr.org ISSN: 2249-9571 Original Research Article Effect of Retrowalking on Pain, Functional Disability and Functional Mobility in Patients with Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis Dr. Sneha Sameer Ganu 1 , Dr. Ankita Jayesh Merchant 2 1 Associate Professor, MGM College of Physiotherapy, Navi Mumbai 2 B.P.Th., MGM College of Physiotherapy, Navi Mumbai Corresponding Author: Dr. Sneha Sameer Ganu ABSTRACT Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease involving the cartilage and surrounding tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of retro walking in comparison with the Conventional closed chain exercise programme in chronic knee osteoarthritis patients. Study Design: Forty subjects participated in this study who had chronic Osteoarthritis of knee. Subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: Experimental and Control group. Experimental group followed Retrowalking and the Control group followed Conventional Closed kinematic chain exercises. Two primary outcome measures used were pain with functional disability and functional mobility which were measured using Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index and Timed up and go test respectively. The secondary measures included pain intensity, Strength of hip abductors, extensors, knee extensors muscles and knee flexion range of motion which were measured using Numerical Pain Rating Scale, manual muscle testing and universal goniometer respectively. Results: After comparing values using independent t-test, functional disability and mobility showed highly significant difference in experimental group than control group. Changes in pain intensity were equal for both the groups. Strength of hip muscles and knee Range of motion improved significantly in the Experimental group than control group. Conclusion: The study concluded that retrowalking was more effective than conventional closed kinematic chain exercises in reducing symptom, improving functional mobility, overcoming physical dysfunction and increasing strength of hip muscles in osteoarthritis of knee after 4 weeks of rehabilitation. Key words: Retrowalking, Closed kinematic chain exercises, Knee Osteoarthritis. INTRODUCTION Osteoarthritis (OA), a chronic degenerative joint disease, is a progressive disorder of the joints involving the cartilage and the surrounding tissues. [1] OA is a non- inflammatory progressive disorder of movable joints, particularly weight bearing joints. The disease limits everyday activities, such as getting in and out of bed, dressing and climbing stairs. [2] It is a commonest cause of severe pain and functional limitation that affects individuals worldwide. It is the second most common rheumatologic problem with a prevalence of 22% to 39% in India. [3-5] Among all, there is high prevalence of knee OA (osteoarthritis) affecting 15-40% of people aged 40 and 60-70% of the population older than 60 years. [6] The physical disability arising from knee OA prevents the performance of daily life activities and negatively affects life quality. Several factors play roles in the occurrence of physical disability. These include pain, joint movement restriction, muscle weakness, and coordination