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 .
Evaluating the benefits of patterned stimulation in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: a multi-center, randomized, single-blind, controlled study with an independent masked evaluator.
OBJECTIVE This study investigated the benefits of the combination of interferential ( IF ) and patterned muscle stimulation in the treatment of osteoarthritis ( OA ) of the knee . DESIGN This was a multi-center , r and omized , single-blind , controlled study with an independent observer . The study r and omized 116 patients with OA of the knee to a test or control group . The test group received 15 min of IF stimulation followed by 20 min of patterned muscle stimulation . The control group received 35 min of low-current transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation ( TENS ) . Both groups were treated for 8 weeks . Subjects completed question naires at baseline and after 2 , 4 and 8 weeks . Primary outcomes included the pain and physical function subscales of the Western Ontario MacMaster ( WOMAC ) OA Index and Visual Analog Scales ( VAS ) for pain and quality of life . RESULTS Compared to the control group , the test group showed reduced pain and increased function . The test group showed a greater decrease in the WOMAC pain subscale ( P=0.002 ) , function subscale ( P=0.003 ) and stiffness subscale ( P=0.004 ) . More than 70 % of the test group , compared to less than 50 % of the control group , had at least a 20 % reduction in the WOMAC pain subscale . When analyzing only patients who completed the study , the test group had a nominally significant greater decrease in overall pain VAS . No significant between-group differences were observed in incidence of adverse events . CONCLUSIONS In patients with OA of the knee , home-based patterned stimulation appears to be a promising therapy for relieving pain , decreasing stiffness , and increasing function
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 .