Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2025
Knee Arthrocentesis in Adults
Published on: February 25, 2022
Comparing the Effects of Corticosteroid Injections and Resistance Exercise on Knee Osteoarthritis Patients: A
Mina Isaac1, LeiLani Lee, Dalin Parker
13500 John A. Merritt Blvd., Nashville, TN 37209, USA. misaac2@tnstate.edu.
Purpose:
To evaluate research on the effectiveness of intra-articular corticosteroids injections compared with resistance exercise on pain, stiffness, and function among patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis.
Methods:
Using the PRISMA guidelines, the authors performed a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in PubMed and EBSCOhost published between January 2012 and October 2022. The authors used keywords to identify studies. After screening the abstracts, reviewers used two screening tools to evaluate for validity and strength of each RCT. Full text of selected articles was critically appraised and narrative analysis was performed. The outcome used to determine effectiveness of the interventions was the Western Ontario McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC).
Results:
Of the 69,056 articles identified during the preliminary search, 8 met the inclusion criteria for use in the study. Three studies involved resistance exercise, and 5 studies involved corticosteroids. Of the 3 resistance studies, 2 had significant changes in WOMAC scores. Of the 5 studies on corticosteroid injections, 4 had significant changes in WOMAC scores.
Conclusion:
Evidence from this review suggests that there is a significant improvement in WOMAC scores for both intervention groups. Although an analysis of research evidence suggests that there is no superior treatment for knee osteoarthritis between corticosteroid injections and resistance exercise, it is important to consider contextual and environmental factors before recommending either treatment.
