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 .
Effect of pulsed short-wave diathermy on pain and function of subjects with osteoarthritis of the knee: a placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial
Objective : To examine the effects of pulsed short-wave diathermy ( PSWD ) , delivered at an intensity sufficient to induce a thermal sensation and at an athermal intensity , in comparison with a placebo short-wave diathermy treatment , on reported pain , stiffness and functional ability and on mobility performance of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee . Design : A placebo-controlled double-blind trial with sequential allocation of patients to different treatment groups . Setting : Outpatient physiotherapy department . Subjects : One hundred and three consecutive patients , mean age 73.7 ( 9 = 6.6 ) years with osteoarthritis of one or both knees for at least three months . Interventions : All participants received three 20-min-long treatments per week for three weeks . One group received PSWD with mean power of 18 W ( thermal effect ) , one group received PSWD with mean power of 1.8 W ( athermal effect ) , and one group received sham short-wave diathermy treatment . Patients were assessed before the initial treatment , immediately following the last treatment , and at a three-month follow-up . Main measures : Outcome measures included the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index , which assessed reported pain , stiffness , and functional ability , and four measures of mobility performance : Timed Get Up and Go test ( TGUG ) , stair-climbing , stairdescending and a 3-min walk . Results : A difference across time was observed for the pain and stiffness categories of the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index ( p < 0.033 and p < 0.008 , respectively ) , with no differences between groups . No other significant differences across time or between groups were observed in any of the other measures . Conclusion : The findings do not demonstrate pulsed short-wave diathermy , as it is utilized in clinical setting s , to be effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee
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 .