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 .
Short-Term Effectiveness of Ultrasound Therapy in Knee Osteoarthritis
This r and omized , placebo-controlled , double-blind study was design ed to investigate the short-term efficacy of ultrasound therapy in 90 patients with knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) . Patients were r and omly assigned to three groups : group 1 received continuous ultrasound , group 2 received pulsed ultrasound , and group 3 received a ‘ sham ’ ( placebo ) ultrasound for 5 min each session . All treatments were applied once a day for 5 days a week for 2 weeks , i.e. a total treatment duration of 10 days . Compared with baseline , significant improvements were observed in the visual analogue scale pain scores and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index ( WOMAC ) scores in all three groups . The reductions in pain and WOMAC scores were significantly higher in patients treated with pulsed ultrasound than in the placebo group . In conclusion , pulsed ultrasound therapy is a safe and effective treatment modality in patients with knee OA . Further research is required to investigate the long-term efficacy of pulsed ultrasound therapy in knee OA
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 .