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Got It, Hide thisZhu GC, Chen KM, Belcastro F. Comparing Different Stretching Exercises on Pain, Stiffness, and Physical Function Disability in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2023 Jul 17:S0003-9993(23)00405-7.
In older people with knee osteoarthritis, do stretching exercise programs help manage pain, stiffness, and physical function disability?
Knee osteoarthritis causes pain and stiffness of the knee and can reduce an older person’s ability to perform activities of daily living and live independently.
It is not known if stretching exercise programs can improve the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis in older people.
The researchers did a systematic review of studies available up to December 2022. They found 17 randomized controlled trials that included a total of 1,785 people.
Key features of the studies were
Pain
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation reduced pain by a large amount compared with multi-component exercise and compared with control.
Mind–body exercise reduced pain by a large amount compared with control.
Multi-component exercise reduced pain by a moderate amount compared with control.
Stiffness
Mind–body exercise reduced stiffness by a large amount compared with control.
Physical function disability
Multi-component exercise reduced physical function disability by a large amount compared with control.
In older people with knee osteoarthritis, different types of stretching exercise programs can improve pain, stiffness, and physical function disability.
Type of stretching exercise programs | Effect of stretching exercise programs* |
Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation | Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation reduced pain by a large amount compared with multi-component exercise and compared with control. |
Mind–body exercise | Mind–body exercise reduced pain and reduced stiffness by a large amount compared with control. |
Multi-component exercise | Multi-component exercise reduced pain by a moderate amount and reduced physical functioning disability by a large amount compared with control. |