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 .
Investigation of Clinical Effects of High- and Low-Resistance Training for Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Background and Purpose : Muscle strength training is important for people with knee osteoarthritis ( OA ) .  High-resistance exercise has been demonstrated to be more beneficial than low-resistance exercise for young subjects . The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of high- and low-resistance strength training in elderly subjects with knee OA . Subjects and Methods : One hundred two subjects were r and omly assigned to groups that received 8 weeks of high-resistance exercise ( HR group ) , 8 weeks of low-resistance exercise ( LR group ) , or no exercise ( control group ) . Pain , function , walking time , and muscle torque were examined before and after intervention . Results : Significant improvement for all measures was observed in both exercise groups . There was no significant difference in any measures between HR and LR groups . However , based on effect size between exercise and control groups , the HR group improved more than the LR group . Discussion and Conclusion : Both high- and low-resistance strength training significantly improved clinical effects in this study . The effects of high-resistance strength training appear to be larger than those of low-resistance strength training for people with mild to moderate knee OA , although the differences between the HR and LR groups were not statistically significant
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 .