Effectiveness of Manual Physical Therapy and Exercise in Osteoarthritis of the Knee

From Brooke Army Medical Center and U.S. Army-Baylor University, Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, Washington.

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Figure 1. Lower scores indicate perceived improvement in pain, stiffness, and function. Black circles represent the treatment group; white circles represent the placebo group. Among patients who completed the study, those in the treatment group had a greater average improvement in WOMAC scores compared with placebo recipients by week 8 ( < 0.001). WOMAC = Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. Average WOMAC scores at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks.P
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Figure 2. Black circles represent the treatment group; white circles represent the placebo group. Among patients who completed the study, those in the treatment group had a greater average improvement in distance walked compared with placebo recipients by week 8 ( = 0.001). Average distance walked in 6 minutes at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks.P
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Appendix Figure. *The number of exercise bouts were increased according to the patient's tolerance. †Patients performed closed-chain exercises B, C, or D depending on which one they could perform pain-free. Patient exercise program.