Multi-treatment strategies for knee osteoarthritis reduces pain more than usual care

Combining lots of different treatments for knee osteoarthritis reduces pain more effectively than does usual care, says research from the Aalborg University in Denmark.
Experts assessed a group of people with knee osteoarthritis who were not eligible for total knee replacement. A total of 46 people were given usual care (two informational leaflets and treatment advice) and were compared to 43 people in the multimodal treatment (neuromuscular exercise, education, diet, insoles and pain medication).
At the start of the study and 12 weeks later, the participants completed a 30-minute walking exercise and reported pain levels. Central and peripheral sensitisation were assessed at the knee, lower leg and forearm after the walking activity.
Key findings
• By 12 weeks, both groups had improved in peak pain intensity, but the multimodal treatment group improved by 15.4 points more than the usual care group.
• After 30 minutes of walking, patients in the multimodal treatment group reported lower pain intensity and a smaller number of body sites with pain.
• Pain sensitisation improved equally in both groups, suggesting that the perception of pain is related to mechanisms other than pain sensitization.
Implications
Healthcare professionals need to suggest a wider range of treatment options for people with knee osteoarthritis.

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