Knee Osteoarthritis and Exercise Therapy

In this talk, we will explore the prevailing myths surrounding exercise therapy and its impact on knee joint cartilage in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Despite the common belief that exercise therapy might exacerbate joint damage, emerging evidence reveals a different narrative. We will explore how exercise therapy stands as a cornerstone treatment for osteoarthritis, as well as highlight how exercise therapy plays a pivotal role in stimulating cartilage health. Finally, I will provide suggestions on what clinicians can do to help patients move past the myth that exercise therapy may ‘wear down’ the knee joint cartilage.

Learning points
● It is a common belief that exercise therapy may harm the knee joint cartilage in people with knee osteoarthritis.
● Evidence suggests that exercise therapy, in addition to being a first line treatment for osteoarthritis, does not harm articular cartilage structure and if anything, may improve its composition.
● Exercise therapy, by loading articular cartilage, stimulates its cells, ultimately contributing to cartilage composition but not necessarily its structure and volume.
● To move past the myth that exercise ‘wears down’ the knee joint cartilage we urge clinicians to address this common belief when treating patients with knee osteoarthritis.