Exercise Therapy May Ease Knee Pain

Exercise therapy may help soothe severe knee pain more effectively than standard care, according to a recent study.

Researchers focused on 131 patients (ages 14 to 40) with patellofemoral pain syndrome, a condition marked by pain at the front of the knee during or after exercise. For 12 months, 65 of the patients took part in a supervised exercise program, while the other 66 participants were assigned to usual care (a “wait and see” approach that involved resting during periods of pain and avoiding pain-triggering activities).

After three months, the exercise-therapy group reported significantly less pain and better physical function than patients receiving usual care. After 12 months, members of the exercise-therapy group continued to show lower pain levels. There was no significant difference in physical function between the two groups by the study’s end, however.

In previous studies, exercise therapy has been found to alleviate pain in people with conditions like arthritis, chronic low back pain, and fibromyalgia.

Exercise Therapy May Ease Knee Pain originally appeared on About.com Alternative Medicine on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 12:00:11.