The preventive and therapeutic role of physical activity in knee osteoarthritis

Abstract

The aim of this narrative review is to discuss the results of studies investigating the role of physical activity in knee osteoarthritis (OA). We also formulated two evidence-based exercise programs that could be prescribed to patients with symptomatic knee OA or after joint replacement. The PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched for articles related to knee OA and physical activity. A total of 86 papers written in English and published from 1957 to 2021 were selected. Adapted physical activity, even at high intensity, does not appear to trigger or exacerbate knee OA; on the contrary, it may prevent obesity or lower limb muscle weakness, both of which are considered predisposing factors for the disease. In patients already diagnosed with knee OA, scientific evidence suggests that both land-based and aquatic activities combining aerobics, strength, and endurance programs are safe and effective. Physical interventions tailored to the patient may also accelerate recovery time after knee arthroplasty. Knee OA is a painful and disabling rheumatic disease that is very common in the elderly population. Pharmacotherapy has a modest effect in controlling disease progression, possibly due to the still limited understanding of OA pathogenesis. Non-pharmacologic interventions, including dietary and lifestyle changes and physical activity, may be more effective and safer than drugs in preventing or treating knee OA.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Factors Predicting the Duration of the Efficacy of Viscosupplementation in Knee Osteoarthritis

“…Although the DE was not significantly different in athletic and active patients, we found a significantly shorter DE in sedentary patients than in active or athletic patients, including in the multivariate analysis. This justifies the value of physical activity in the management of knee OA, as already established [27,28], and not restricting the exercise of patients suffering from OA. Concerning the practice of "extreme" sports such as very long-distance running (only one patient practised endurance trail running in our population), which is very popular at the moment and is likely to be common practice among patients with OA in a few years' time, it is advisable to be cautious, and a specific case-control study could be useful given the limited number of people with OA currently practising these sports.…”

A Study on the Rehabilitation of Patients with Osteoarthritis of the Knee

“…Knee pain, limitation of physical activity, partial dysfunction of the organism and joint deformity are the main symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee, whereas pain in the organism is the most common clinical symptom and the main reason for patients to visit the doctor [59][60]. The mechanism for the occurrence of knee osteoarthritis is still unclear, therefore, there is no completely effective treatment method in the clinic at present [61].…”