Walking, cycling or swimming may provide some pain relief for people with knee osteoarthritis, a team of international researchers says.
Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of bones wears away. This leads to pain, swelling and impaired movement. It’s most common in the knees, with nearly 30% of people 45 and older showing signs of it on X-rays, according to the BMJ Group, which publishes The British Medical Journal.
The research team looked at the results of 217 randomized trials that involved nearly 16,000 people to determine whether various types of exercise were safe and effective for managing knee osteoarthritis. Those included aerobic, flexibility, strengthening, mind-body, neuromotor and mixed exercise.
The aerobic exercises – which included swimming, walking and cycling – showed the highest probability of being the best treatment for pain, function, gait performance and quality of life.
Although less certain, the results also suggest that aerobic exercises helped relieve short- and mid-term pain, as well as improve knee function, short- and mid-term gait performance, and quality of life.
The study was published in The British Medical Journal.
