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

Chenglan Huang; Yutong Hou; Yunxiao Yang; Jiaqi Liu; Ya Li; Dezhi Lu; Sha Chen; Jinwu Wang

doi:10.3389/fmed.2024.1418433

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

Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Sep 3:11:1418433. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1418433. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Chenglan Huang^#¹, Yutong Hou^#¹, Yunxiao Yang¹, Jiaqi Liu¹, Ya Li¹, Dezhi Lu², Sha Chen³, Jinwu Wang⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Rehabilitation, Shandong Second Medical University, Weifang, China.
² School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
³ Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China.
⁴ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopaedic Implants, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

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.

Results: 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.

Conclusion: The bibliometric analysis confirms significant interest and ongoing research in physical therapy for KOA treatment from 2013 to 2022, indicating a growing field. Journals and authors in this area show influential and collaborative dynamics. Future research should focus on enhancing international and institutional collaboration and explore emerging trends like internet-guided treatments.

Keywords: CiteSpace; VOSviewer; knee osteoarthritis; physical therapy; visual analysis.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by “National Key R&D Program of China” (2020YFC2008700) and “Two-hundred Talent Support” (20152224). National Facility for Translational Medicine (Shanghai) Open Project Fund (TMSK-2021-140); Translational Medicine Innovation Project of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine (TM201613/TM201915); Project of Shanghai Science and Technology Commission (22015820100); and Guizhou Science and Technology Support Program and the Qiankehe Support [2023] General 196.