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 .
Physical exercise and the prevention of disability in activities of daily living in older persons with osteoarthritis.
BACKGROUND The prevention of disability in activities of daily living ( ADL ) may prolong older persons ' autonomy ( older persons are defined in this study as those aged > or = 60 years ) . However , proved preventive strategies for ADL disability are lacking . A sedentary lifestyle is an important cause of disability . This study examines whether an exercise program can prevent ADL disability . METHODS A 2-center , r and omized , single-blind , controlled trial was conducted in which participants were assigned to an aerobic exercise program , a resistance exercise program , or an attention control group .  Of the 439 community-dwelling persons aged 60 years or older with knee osteoarthritis originally recruited , the 250 participants initially free of ADL disability were used for this study .  Incident ADL disability , defined as developing difficulty in transferring from a bed to a chair , eating , dressing , using the toilet , or bathing , was assessed quarterly during 18 months of follow-up . RESULTS The cumulative incidence of ADL disability was lower in the exercise groups ( 37.1 % ) than in the attention control group ( 52.5 % ) ( P = .02 ) . After adjustment for demographics and baseline physical function , the relative risk of incident ADL disability for assignment to exercise was 0.57 ( 95 % confidence interval , 0.38 - 0.85 ; P = .006 ) . Both exercise programs prevented ADL disability ; the relative risks were 0.60 ( 95 % confidence interval , 0.38 - 0.97 ; P = .04 ) for resistance exercise and 0.53 ( 95 % confidence interval , 0.33 - 0.85 ; P = .009 ) for aerobic exercise . The lowest ADL disability risks were found for participants with the highest compliance to exercise . CONCLUSIONS Aerobic and resistance exercise may reduce the incidence of ADL disability in older persons with knee osteoarthritis .  Exercise may be an effective strategy for preventing ADL disability and , consequently , may prolong older persons ' autonomy
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 .