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 .
The effect of a manual therapy knee protocol on osteoarthritic knee pain: a randomised controlled trial.
BACKGROUND Knee osteoarthritis is a highly prevalent condition with a significant socioeconomic burden to society . It is known to effect sufferers through pain , loss of function and changes in health related quality of life . Management typically involves pharmacologic and /or exercise based therapy approaches to reduce pain . Previous studies have shown multimodal treatment approaches incorporating manual therapy to be efficacious . The aim of this study is to determine if a manual therapy technique knee protocol can alter the self reported pain experienced by a group of chronic knee osteoarthritis sufferers in a r and omised controlled trial . METHODS 43 participants with a chronic , non-progressive history of osteoarthritic knee pain , aged between 47 and 70 years were r and omly allocated following a screening procedure to an intervention group ( n=26 ; 18 men and 8 women , mean age 56.5 years ) or a control group ( n=17 ; 11 men and 6 women , mean age 54.6 years ) . Participants were matched for present knee pain intensity measured on a visual analogue scale . The intervention consisted of the Macquarie Injury Management Group Knee Protocol whilst the control involved a non-forceful manual contact to the knee followed by interferential therapy set at zero . Participants received three treatments per week for two consecutive weeks with a follow up immediately after the final treatment . Post-treatment Participants completed 11 questions including present knee pain intensity and feedback regarding their response to treatment utilizing a visual analogue scale . Results were analysed using descriptive statistics . RESULTS Prior to the intervention , there was no significant differences in age or present knee pain intensity . Following treatment , the intervention group reported a significant decrease in the present pain severity ( mean 1.9 ) when compared to the control group ( mean 3.1 ) . Response to treatment questions indicated that compared to the control group , the intervention group felt the intervention had helped them ( intervention mean 7.0 ; control mean 3.4 ) , felt it decreased their knee symptoms such as crepitus ( intervention mean 6.0 ; control mean 3.4 ) and improved their knee mobility ( intervention mean 6.4 ; control mean 3.4 ) and their ability to perform general activities ( intervention mean 6.5 ; control mean 3.8 ) . Importantly the MIMG Knee Protocol intervention group reported no adverse reactions during treatment . CONCLUSIONS A short-term manual therapy knee protocol significantly reduced pain suffered by participants with osteoarthritic knee pain and result ed in improvements in self-reported knee function immediately after the end of the 2 week treatment period
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 .