Are there three top conservative ways to reduce the pain from knee osteoarthritis out of all the many non-surgical, non-drug methods that are offered?
Researchers analyzed 139 clinical trials involving nearly 10,000 people.
The studies examined treatments including knee braces, exercise, hydrotherapy, laser therapy, electrical stimulation, insoles, kinesiology tape, shock wave therapy and ultrasound.
The researchers used a network meta-analysis, which allowed them to compare treatments across different clinical trials rather than evaluating each therapy separately.
Knee braces, hydrotherapy and exercise may be especially helpful for knee osteoarthritis witout the use of drugs.
That’s the finding from a large analysis published in PLOS One. The research, led by Yuan Luo of the First People’s Hospital of Neijiang in China, compared 12 different non-drug treatments for knee osteoarthritis.
Knee Braces and Hydrotherapy Show Benefits
Knee braces performed well in several categories. They were linked with less pain and stiffness and better physical function.
Hydrotherapy, which involves exercising or receiving treatment in warm water, was particularly effective for reducing pain.
Exercise also showed consistent benefits for both pain and physical function.
Some high-tech treatments had positive results in certain areas. High-intensity laser therapy and shock wave therapy showed promise.
Ultrasound, on the other hand, consistently performed near the bottom of the comparisons.
The results suggest that relatively inexpensive and accessible treatments can be useful for managing knee osteoarthritis without medication.
However, the researchers caution against treating the findings as a definitive ranking.
The 139 trials varied in design, participant numbers and treatment duration, making direct comparisons less certain.
The authors say future studies should examine whether combining treatments produces greater benefits and which approaches offer the best value for their cost.
Overall, the analysis suggests that knee bracing, water-based therapy and exercise deserve consideration as non-drug approaches for reducing knee osteoarthritis symptoms and improving mobility.
