THE EFFECT OF KNEE EXERCISE AND PARAM GINGER TO REDUCE KNEE PAIN IN ELDERLY

Abstract

Background: Higher life expectancy in Indonesia contributes to the increasing number of elderly populations. Due to this situation, the dependent burden of productive age to non-productive expanding. Many diseases occur in the elderly, including degenerative joint disease, account for 11.9% in Indonesia and 6% occurring in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Among 34 provinces in Indonesia, Yogyakarta and 4 other provinces were identified to have an old population structure where the proportion of elderly reached 10 percent or above. In 2019, the elderly population in Yogyakarta account for 14.50 percent (Central Bureau of Statistics Indonesia. (2019). Following changes in the population structure in which the number of elderly people is rising and occupied as a province with the highest elderly population rate, arthritis became the second-highest disease incidence in Yogyakarta. Current evidence related to exercise and ginger, did not present any studies that combine both of the intervention methods as researchers aimed to identify scientific evidence of exercise and ginger to reduce knee pain in the elderly. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of knee exercise and param ginger to reduce knee pain in the elderly. Methods: This is a quantitative study implementing quasi-experimental research, randomized pretest-posttest control design. The population of this study was elderly originated from Pringwulung Village, Yogyakarta. The purposive sample design was intended to recruit participants with age 55-70 years, experiencing knee pain, have no ginger allergy, and willing to participate. The eligible sample of this study was 40 participants. The intervention was carried out for 4 weeks from September to October 2020. Results: Study identified significant differences in pain levels before and after knee exercise (p=0.004), before and after knee exercise and param ginger (p=0.004), and before and after receiving param ginger (p=0.006). Conclusion: Knee exercise and param ginger provide a significant effect to reduce knee pain in the elderly.