Don’t take drugs to ease knee arthritis pain—exercise instead

Medicine has plenty of ways to treat knee arthritis—but none is as good as exercise.

Non-drug approaches, which also include knee braces and hydrotherapy, are the most effective, say researchers from the First People’s Hospital of Neijiang in China.

They analysed 139 clinical trials that had involved more than 10,000 people with knee arthritis to discover the most effective non-drug approaches, which included laser therapy, electrical stimulation, braces, insoles, kinesiology tape, water-based therapy, exercise, and ultrasound.

Knee braces came out on top across most categories, including reducing pain, improving function, and relieving stiffness. Hydrotherapy, exercises or treatments performed in warm water, was particularly effective at easing pain, while general exercise was also consistently effective, improving both pain and physical function. High-intensity laser therapy and shock wave therapy showed some benefits, while ultrasound consistently scored the lowest in effectiveness.

Knee braces, hydrotherapy, and exercise are the most effective non-drug therapies for knee osteoarthritis, and they are as effective as painkiller drugs, such as NSAIDs, that come with gastrointestinal and cardiovascular risks, the researchers say.

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