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 .
An evaluation of pulsed shortwave on knee osteoarthritis using radioleucoscintigraphy: a randomised, double blind, controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of pulsed shortwave on  osteoarthritis of the knee .  METHODS A double blinded , r and omised , controlled trial . Thirteen female and 14 male patients with radiographic evidence of knee osteoarthritis were r and omly allocated to either low dose ( 10 W ) , or high dose ( 20 W ) or placebo high frequency pulsed shortwave .  Knee radioleucoscintigraphy was performed pre and post treatment as well as objective functional and subjective evaluations . RESULTS There were no significant differences between the groups in the pre and post treatment percentage change for radioleucoscintigraphy ( P > 0.05 ) . Functional and subjective measures also revealed no pre and post treatment differences between the groups ( P > 0.05 ) , except for improved knee range of motion in the placebo group ( P < 0.05 ) . CONCLUSION Joint inflammation in knee osteoarthritis , measured using radioleucoscintigraphy , was not altered significantly by pulsed shortwave , therefore this therapeutic modality has little or no anti-inflammatory effect on conditions such as osteoarthritis of the knee
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 .