Several individual RCTs demonstrated clinical ly important improvements in pain and disability with aerobic exercise .
Other PT interventions demonstrated no sustained benefit .
Individual RCTs showed similar benefits with aerobic , aquatic , and strengthening exercise .
Adverse events were uncommon and did not deter participants from continuing treatment .
Low-strength evidence suggested that only a few PT interventions were effective .
BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability .
Nonsurgical treatment is a key first step .
PURPOSE Systematic literature review of physical therapy ( PT ) interventions for community-dwelling adults with knee osteoarthritis .
TENS, electroacupuncture and ice massage: comparison of treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee.
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of transcutaneous nerve stimulation ( TENS ) , electroacupuncture ( EA ) , and ice massage with placebo treatment for the treatment of pain . Subjects ( n = 100 ) diagnosed with osteoarthritis ( OA ) of the knee were treated with these modalities . The parameters for evaluating the effectiveness of treatment include pain at rest , stiffness , 50 foot walking time , quadriceps muscle strength , and knee flexion degree . The results showed ( a ) that all three methods could be effective in decreasing not only pain but also the objective parameters in a short period of time ; and ( b ) that the treatment results in TENS , EA and ice massage were superior to placebo
Several individual RCTs demonstrated clinical ly important improvements in pain and disability with aerobic exercise .
Other PT interventions demonstrated no sustained benefit .
Individual RCTs showed similar benefits with aerobic , aquatic , and strengthening exercise .
Adverse events were uncommon and did not deter participants from continuing treatment .
Low-strength evidence suggested that only a few PT interventions were effective .
BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability .
Nonsurgical treatment is a key first step .
PURPOSE Systematic literature review of physical therapy ( PT ) interventions for community-dwelling adults with knee osteoarthritis .