Osteopaths are becoming increasingly aware of the need to prescribe exercises to help strengthen the muscles supporting the knee in patients suffering with any knee dysfunction and especially in patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee.
A recent random controlled trial was performed by Mei-Hwa Jan et al (2008) set out to investigated the ‘Clinical Effects of High – Low Resistance Training for Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis’. The purpose of the study was to compare the effects of high and low resistance strength training in elderly subjects; research has shown that high-resistance exercise is more beneficial than low resistance exercises in younger subjects.
Baseline statistics were collected on pain and walking speed on 4 different terrains; level ground, stairs, figure of 8 pattern and spongy surface.
The authors found significant improvements for all measures in both of the exercise groups after 8 weeks of resistance strength training, although they found no significant difference between the high and low resistance groups (slightly greater improvement scores in the high resistance group), both groups performed better than the control group (no exercise) after the intervention.
In conclusion, resistance strength training has been shown to be significantly effective in improving pain and disability scores in older patients with knee osteoarthritis. The effects of high resistance strength training appear to be slightly greater than low resistance strength training for people with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis.
The content of this page is informed by feedback from osteopaths in the Hertfordshire area and also a practitioner in Worcester. Further input was received from osteopathic practitioners in Luton and practices in Covent Garden. Finally a contribution was made by clinics in Oxford.