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REVIEW article

Front. Med.
Sec. Rheumatology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1418433
This article is part of the Research Topic Rehabilitation and Alternative Medicine in the Healthcare for Chronic Rheumatic Pain Disorders View all 5 articles

A bibliometric analysis of the application of physical therapy in knee osteoarthritis from 2013 to 2022

Provisionally accepted
lan C. Huang lan C. Huang 1tong Y. Hou tong Y. Hou 1*xiao Y. Yang xiao Y. Yang 1*qi J. Liu qi J. Liu 1Ya Li Ya Li 1*zhi D. Lu zhi D. Lu 2*Sha Chen Sha Chen 3*wu J. Wang wu J. Wang 4*
  • 1 Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
  • 2 Shanghai University, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
  • 3 The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China
  • 4 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common chronic joint diseases. Physical therapy, a non-invasive approach, is extensively used in its treatment. Although bibliometrics is a reliable method to evaluate the significance and impact of research fields, systematic bibliometric analyses in this area are lacking. This study aims to perform a bibliometric analysis covering 2013 to 2022, to highlight the current state, key focuses, and trends in physical therapy for KOA.Methods: This study utilizes the Web of Science Core Collection to gather relevant literature on physical therapy and KOA from 2013 to 2022. CiteSpace and VOSviewer software facilitated the visual analysis of the annual publications, geographic and institutional distributions, journals, authors, references, and keywords in this field.The study analyzed 1,357 articles, showing an overall increase in publications over time from 71 countries and 2,302 institutions. The United States and Australia emerged as leaders in this field. The analysis identified 6,046 authors, with Kim L. Bennell as the most prolific and Bellamy N. receiving the most citations. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders published the most articles, while Osteoarthritis and Cartilage received the most citations. High-impact articles were authored notably by McAlindon TE, Bannuru RR, Fernandes L, and Bennell KL. Keyword analysis highlighted a strong focus on patient self-management, exercise therapy, physical factor therapy, and remote rehabilitation.The bibliometric analysis confirms significant interest and ongoing research in physical therapy for KOA treatment from 2013 to 2022, indicating a growing field. Journals

    Keywords: Physical Therapy, knee osteoarthritis, Citespace, VOSviewer, visual analysis

    Received: 16 Apr 2024; Accepted: 23 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Huang, Hou, Yang, Liu, Li, Lu, Chen and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    tong Y. Hou, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
    xiao Y. Yang, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
    Ya Li, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China
    zhi D. Lu, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, Shanghai Municipality, China
    Sha Chen, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China
    wu J. Wang, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200011, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.