2.4. Eligibility criteria
rheumatoid arthritis, substance abuse disorder, arrhythmia, OA, hearing or visual impairment, dementia, pain, KOA, psychosis, systemic rheumatic diseases, cerebral infarction, knee pain
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, ARRHYTHMIA, DIABETES MELLITUS, CEREBRAL INFARCTION, CHRONIC DISEASE
The inclusion criteria were: diagnosis of KOA grade ≤3; current joint symptoms; 40 to 70 years of age; experienced knee pain most days of the previous month; knee pain average between 3 and 7 on the visual analog scale for pain in the previous week; and BMI < 40.Exclusion criteria were: rheumatoid arthritis or other systemic rheumatic diseases; dementia, psychosis, or active substance abuse disorder; acute or chronic disease, injury, deformity, or operation of the lower limb and knee; severe hearing or visual impairment; hospitalization for a cardiovascular condition, cerebral infarction or arrhythmia in the previous 3 months; recent history of 3 or more falls; current participation in another OA intervention study; uncontrolled diabetes mellitus; intra-articular knee injections in the previous 6 months; and contraindication(s) to cryotherapy application (i.e., those that feel a high level of discomfort or pain during the application). The participants signed a written informed consent form, and then the author completed the baseline assessments. The patients who did not meet the eligibility criteria were not given a number to avoid bias.