We often overlook our knees, but they help carry us around all day, every day, and they’re among the more complex joints. Sometimes, I deal with spontaneous swelling of my left knee, so I try to rest it, ice it, massage it, and compress it with a knee brace. Yoga has also helped strengthen my knees over time. Interesting research reveals that both yoga and strengthening exercises improved knee pain over 12 weeks for adults with knee osteoarthritis.
In another study, researchers explored the efficacy and safety of different types of exercise in managing knee osteoarthritis.
The meta-analysis
In a meta-analysis published in The British Medical Journal, the researchers analyzed 217 randomized controlled trials involving 15,684 participants. They compared the following:
- Aerobic exercise (cycling, walking, swimming, and more)
- Mind-body exercise (yoga, Tai Chi)
- Flexibility and stretching
- Neuromotor movements (focused on balance and coordination)
- Strength training (strengthening exercises)
- Mixed training
- Control group (no or minimal exercise)
At four weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks, the researchers followed up to measure primary outcomes, including pain, function, gait performance, and quality of life.
The results
The study revealed that aerobic exercise reduced pain, particularly in the first few months, and took the crown across nearly all measures, including daily functioning, walking ability, and quality of life. Cycling, swimming, or similar cardio exercises were the most efficient and consistent overall.
Aerobic exercise took the lead, but other types of exercise still yielded benefits, for example:
- Mind-body exercises like Tai Chi and yoga were superior for improving short-term daily functioning and helping with balance, control, and confidence.
- Strength training and mixed training largely improved function at the mid-term follow-up.
- Mixed training also increased gait performance.
- Neuromotor training boosted walking gait performance in the short term.
- Flexibility and stretching reduced long-term pain.
- Unless people continued with exercise, some of these benefits disappear over time.
When it comes to safety, only 18% of those studies reported side effects, and the researchers concluded that, generally speaking, exercise is safe for those with knee osteoarthritis.
The takeaway
The researchers noted that consistency and sticking with those workouts were more important than the specific type of exercise. So, no matter what you choose and what you like best, as long as you stick with it, you should see benefits. For those with knee osteoarthritis, at least in this study, the most beneficial type of exercise across all measures was aerobic exercise, from lowering pain to boosting function. I think I’ll head out to do some cycling or set off on a light jog.
