The website “Abonite.D” reported that people with osteoarthritis of the knee often suffer from pain and lack of movement in addition to swelling and an audible grinding sound, indicating that exercise can significantly relieve symptoms.
The website, which is the official portal for German pharmacists, added that a new analysis of international studies shows that endurance sports such as walking, swimming and cycling are not only safe, but are also the most effective in relieving pain.
Extensive review
My research team identified this with the help of a large-scale review; The researchers analyzed 217 studies published between 1990 and 2024, which included more than 15,000 affected people, and found a variety of sports treatments, including:
– Endurance training (anaerobic training).
– Flexibility training.
– Muscle strengthening training.
– Neuromotor exercises to improve coordination and balance.
– Mixed training.
The team looked for improvements in pain, joint function, walking performance and quality of life. Participants’ condition was assessed after 4 weeks (short-term effects), 12 weeks (medium-term effects) and 24 weeks (long-term effects).
Analysis results
The analysis reached the following results:
Endurance sports such as walking, swimming, and cycling had a positive effect on pain, walking performance, and quality of life, even in the short term. This was followed by an improvement in joint function.
– Muscle strengthening and combination training: Both had a positive effect on joint function in the medium term.
Neuromotor exercises: improve gait performance in the short term.
The safety aspect was also not overlooked; One analysis confirmed the good safety level of exercise therapy, and no increase in side effects was recorded compared to the control group.
It is worth noting that osteoarthritis of the knee is a chronic degenerative disease that occurs as a result of wear and tear in the knee joint.