Effect of Systematic Exercise Rehabilitation on Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Author: Jing Chao1, Zhang Jing1, Bai Xuehua2, Yang Peilei3, Gong Qi4
Affiliation:
1 The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
2 Hebei Normal University Sports Rehabilitation Department, Shijiazhuang, China.
3 Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
4 Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, China.
Conference/Journal: Cartilage
Date published: 2021 Dec 1
Other: Volume ID: 13 , Issue ID: 1_suppl , Pages: 1734S-1740S , Special Notes: doi: 10.1177/1947603520903443. , Word Count: 232


Objectives:
We aimed to compare the outcomes of exercise rehabilitation and conventional treatment in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods:
This trial included a total of 166 patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis; they were randomly divided into groups. The experimental group underwent systematic exercise rehabilitation, while the control group received naproxen (n = 28), diclofenac (n = 27), or celecoxib (n = 19). Improvement in symptoms, knee function, and quality of life were compared. SPSS Statistics 24.0 was used for the data analysis.

Results:
The mean age of patients was 56.0 ± 10.5 years, and the average follow-up time was 12 ± 2.3 weeks. No statistically significant differences were seen in age, body mass index, and sex (P > 0.05) between the groups. The average Western Ontario and MacMaster Universities (WOMAC) scores after treatment were 84.4 ± 15.2, 108.3 ± 3.9, 107.4 ± 5.4, and 107 ± 6.0 in the exercise rehabilitation, diclofenac, naproxen, and celecoxib groups, respectively. The mean Lysholm scores were 60.3 ± 14.9, 41.0 ± 0.1, 43.5 ± 5.3, and 41.7 ± 3.6 in the exercise rehabilitation, diclofenac, naproxen, and celecoxib groups, respectively. The mean SF-36 (Short Form-36 Survey) scores were 105.4 ± 21.5, 82.5 ± 3.7, 84.2 ± 3.5, and 83.7 ± 5.0 in the exercise rehabilitation, naproxen, celecoxib, and diclofenac groups, respectively. The average ranges of knee motion were 125.0 ± 6.2°, 116.4 ± 1.4°, 114.7 ± 1.1°, and 115.7 ± 0.8° after exercise rehabilitation, diclofenac, naproxen, and celecoxib treatments, respectively. These data presented statistical differences between the groups.

Conclusion:
Exercise better improved symptoms and quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis over a 12-week follow-up period than that achieved with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and COX-2 inhibitors.

Keywords: exercise; knee osteoarthritis; rehabilitation.

PMID: 32037857 PMCID: PMC8808852 (available on 2022-06-01) DOI: 10.1177/1947603520903443

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