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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- For patients with knee pain, a supervised exercise therapy may offer better results than usual care.
In a new study, supervised exercise therapy produced an 11 percent increased recovery rate after 12 months, compared with a usual care method. Usual care of patellofemoral knee pain involves rest between physical activities and avoiding pain-inducing activities.
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Patients with patellofemoral pain experience pain in the front region of their knees, generally after physical activity. It is more common in women than in men and typically begins during adolescence and most active in sports.
Researchers in the Netherlands conducted a study including 131 pateollofemoral pain patients. Sixty-five participants participated in the exercise program, while the other 66 participants followed usual care methods. All patients received written information about their pain and instructions for home exercises.
Patients rated their recovery, pain at rest, pain on activity and function. After three months, the supervised exercising patients had less pain and better function. After 12 months, pain continued to be less in the exercise group, although function results did not greatly differ.
Experts recommend a supervised exercise program over usual treatment, but say further research is needed to better understand why it produces better results.
SOURCE: British Medical Journal, published online October 20, 2009
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