title: Exercise for osteoarthritis of the knee: a Cochrane systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether land-based therapeutic exercise is beneficial for people with knee osteoarthritis (OA) in terms of reduced joint pain or improved physical function and quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five electronic databases were searched, up until May 2013. Randomised clinical trials comparing some form of land-based therapeutic exercise with a non-exercise control were selected. Three teams of two review authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias for each study. Standardised mean differences immediately after treatment and 2-6 months after cessation of formal treatment were separately pooled using a random effects model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 54 studies were identified. Overall, 19 (35%) studies reported adequate random sequence generation, allocation concealment and adequately accounted for incomplete outcome data. However, research results may be vulnerable to selection, attrition and detection bias. Pooled results from 44 trials indicated that exercise significantly reduced pain (12 points/100; 95% CI 10 to 15) and improved physical function (10 points/100; 95% CI 8 to 13) to a moderate degree immediately after treatment, while evidence from 13 studies revealed that exercise significantly improved quality of life immediately after treatment with small effect (4 points/100; 95% CI 2 to 5). In addition, 12 studies provided 2-month to 6-month post-treatment sustainability data which showed significantly reduced knee pain (6 points/100; 95% CI 3 to 9) and 10 studies which showed improved physical function (3 points/100; 95% CI 1 to 5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among people with knee osteoarthritis, land-based therapeutic exercise provides short-term benefit that is sustained for at least 2-6 months after cessation of formal treatment.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Group and Discipline of Physiotherapy, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Marlene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fransen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, St Joseph's Health Care Centre, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McConnell
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Group and Discipline of Physiotherapy, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Alison R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Harmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Reade, Centre for Rehabilitation and Rheumatology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van der Esch
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Clinical and Rehabilitation Sciences Research Group and Discipline of Physiotherapy, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simic
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiotherapy, Melbourne School of Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Kim L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Bennell
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome