Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Massachusetts found that patients with meniscal tears and knee osteoarthritis who did home exercises experienced a significant reduction in pain, whether or not the exercises were accompanied by regular physical therapy visits. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).
879 people, whose average age was 59, participated in the study. Participants were randomized into three groups: those who did home exercises alone, those who combined them with standard physical therapy sessions, and those who combined them with sham physical therapy (placebo).
The home exercise program included 25 minutes of lower extremity stretching and strengthening exercises four times per week. Training videos and booklets were provided to the participants. Patients in the standard and sham physical therapy groups also had specialist visits twice a week during the first month, then once a week during the second month, and every other week during the third month.
"On average, participants in all groups reported moderately severe pain at baseline and significantly less pain after three, six and 12 months," said Professor Jeffrey Katz, MD, clinical director of the Orthopedics and Arthritis Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Study results show that home exercises can be an effective and affordable strategy for osteoarthritis pain relief, especially when combined with specialized support.
Translation by Euromedia24.com
