Strength Training Decreases Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis

MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Strength training improves muscle strength and self-reported measures of pain and physical functioning in osteoarthritis patients, while the impact on health-related quality of life and depression is not conclusive, researchers report in the Oct. 15 issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

Angela K. Lange, of the University of Sydney in Australia, and colleagues performed a systematic review examining the effectiveness of strength training on symptoms, physical performance and psychological function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Overall, 18 studies were identified enrolling 2,832 subjects and meeting eight out of 12 quality criteria on average. Following resistance training, significant improvements in self-reported pain, physical function, performance status, muscle strength, maximal gait speed, chair stand time and balance all improved significantly (56-100 percent of studies where measured), the researchers report. However, effect size could not be calculated due to lack of data. The review was also limited by lack of adverse event reporting and lack of reporting related to the actual training intensity compared to the prescribed training intensity.

"Over 50-75 percent of the studies included in this review found knee osteoarthritis symptoms, physical function and strength improved by clinically meaningful amounts with resistance training when compared with usual care," the authors write. "However, at this stage there is insufficient data available to comment on the efficacy of resistance training on measures of health-related quality of life and psychological outcomes or disease progression and overall health care use, and extrapolation of the findings to patients with severe knee osteoarthritis, multiple comorbidities, or frailty should be made with caution until further long-term studies in these higher-risk cohorts are conducted."

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