Study: Home Exercise Can Reduce Osteoarthritis Knee Pain

A simple home-based exercise program involving exercise for up to 30 minutes a day can significantly reduce knee pain associated with osteoarthritis, according to British researchers.

A two-year study of 786 men and women, all over age 45 with self-reported knee pain, scored patients for knee pain after two years. Other outcomes measured were knee function and stiffness, general physical function, psychological outlook and isometric muscle strength.

The participants were randomly placed into four groups to receive exercise therapy, monthly telephone contact, exercise therapy plus telephone contact, or no intervention. Patients in the no intervention and combined exercise and telephone groups were randomly selected to receive or not receive a placebo health food tablet.

At two years, highly significant reductions in knee pain were found for the exercise groups compared with the non-exercise groups. Similar improvements were seen at six, 12 and 18 months. The reduction in pain was greater the closer the patients adhered to the exercise plan.

"A simple home-based exercise program can significantly reduce knee pain," concluded the researchers. "The lack of improvement in patients who received only telephone contact suggests that improvements are not just due to psychosocial effects because of contact with the therapist."

Other sources: British Medical Journal