Solace is available for people who are suffering from the debilitating effects of osteoarthritis in the knee, according to a published report.
Healthcare workers who hold physical therapy jobs are in a key position to be of assistance, Arthritis Today reports. Researchers who were probing the matter in Minnesota examined 193 clinical trials on 13 approaches to the malady that were using neither drugs nor surgery and found that interventions with the assistance of physical therapists were effective.
"We expected that these core physical therapy interventions helped adults with knee OA," said study co-author and senior research associate Tatyana A. Shamliyan with the Minnesota Evidence-based Practice Center at the School of Public Health, University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "Exercise programs that are specifically designed for knee OA patients are the first things physical therapists recommend."
Knee function improved with the use of aerobic and aquatic exercise while pain dropped with aerobic and strengthening exercises.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, physical therapists helped patients recover from injuries, illnesses and operations while also assisting them with pain management.