Physical therapy and exercise in osteoarthritis prevention

Excerpt

Exercise encompasses physical activity (habitual, sporting), and exercise programmes to improve and maintain joint heath. Clinical guidelines recommend exercise for osteoarthritis (OA) e.g. NICE, EULAR, OARSI. Benefits of moderate exercise include weight control (obesity is a known risk factor for OA) and joint health (beneficial for cartilage). Specific exercises aim to achieve optimal biomechanics to protect joints (joint alignment, load reducing strategies) and improve muscle strength, endurance, power, flexibility and co-ordination. Other physiotherapy principles include sport/task specific exercises, personalised medicine (exercises tailored for the individual) and neuromuscular control of movement (screening and retraining using specific exercises). Manual therapy techniques (pain management, mobilisations, muscle stretching) can improve exercise outcomes. Effects of exercise on pain and function are comparable with those for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Exercise forms part of biopsychosocial management, using tailored, patient centred interventions based on assessment, with shared decision making. …