Effect of supine knee position on obstructive sleep apnea.
We previously reported a case of a middle-aged man whose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was virtually eliminated when he slept in the supine "knees up" position. In this study, we attempt to replicate this phenomenon in a group of volunteers with previously diagnosed OSA. Results indicated no significant improvement in OSA when sleeping supine knees up. Examination of distribution of within subjects' change [calculated as Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) in the "knees down" position vs RDI in the knees up position] indicated a trend for improvement in the latter (p=0.12, two-tailed probability). These results suggest that knee position is unlikely to be a robust intervention for OSA though they allow for the possibility that some patients may have a moderation of their condition by such a manipulation.
Program in Sleep, Aging and Chronobiology, Emory University Medical School, Wesley Woods Center, 1841 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
Sophia A
SA
Greer
Laura-Beth
LB
Straight
David A
DA
Schulman
Donald L
DL
Bliwise
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography; D011187:Posture; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016683:Supine Position