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 effects of pulsed electromagnetic fields in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial
In this study , we planned to investigate the effects of pulse electromagnetic field ( PEMF ) on pain relief and functional capacity of patients with knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) . Fifty-five patients with knee OA were included in a r and omized , placebo-controlled study . At the end of the therapy , there was statistically significant improvement in pain scores in both groups ( P < 0.05 ) . However , no significant difference was observed within the groups ( P > 0.05 ) . We observed statistically significant improvement in some of the subgroups of Lequesne index . These are morning stiffness and activities of daily living activities compared to placebo group . However , we could not observe statistically significant differences in total of the scale between two groups ( P > 0.05 ) . Applying between-group analysis , we were unable to demonstrate a beneficial symptomatic effect of PEMF in the treatment of knee OA in all patients . Further studies using different types of magnetic devices , treatment protocol s and patient population s are warranted to confirm the general efficacy of PEMF therapy in OA and other conditions
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 .