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Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal ailments worldwide. Numerous conservative therapies exist, but evidence for such treatments remains conflicting. Recently, there has been growing interest surrounding bioactive sleeves for managing knee arthritis; however, the literature on their efficacy for relieving pain and improving function in the setting of knee OA is limited. As such, we sought to investigate the effect of a bioactive sleeve on patient-reported outcome measures in a small cohort of patients with OA.

Methods: Patients with knee OA were given a bioactive sleeve (Reparel, Chico, CA) and asked to refrain from lifestyle modifications and intraarticular corticosteroid injections. Lysholm Knee Score, Oxford Knee Score, Knee Injury and OA Outcome Score (KOOS), Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation, and Visual Analog Scale score were obtained at baseline, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months. OA severity was evaluated using the Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) classification system. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare baseline patient-reported outcomes with 2-week, 6-week, and 3-month time points. Bivariate correlation was used to evaluate the relation between patient-reported outcome measures and KL classification.

Results: The cohort was composed of 14 participants—4 males and 10 females—with a mean age of 62.2±13.2 years and a body mass index of 33.7±5.8. The average KL grade was 2.9 (range 2–4). KOOS pain, symptoms, activities of daily living, and quality of life increased significantly at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months. KOOS sport and recreation significantly increased at 3 …