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

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

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.

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.

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.