Effect of Physical Therapy on Inflammatory Biomarkers in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Study Summary

7 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), including 523 patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis comparing physical therapy (PT) interventions with usual care, sham treatment, or no intervention. Treatments included exercise, manual therapy, whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS), acupuncture, and auricular bean pressing. Pooled outcomes included C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) levels. PT significantly reduced CRP levels compared with controls, although substantial heterogeneity was observed. No significant difference in ESR was identified. These findings suggested that PT may reduce systemic inflammatory activity in patients with knee OA, although the magnitude and clinical relevance of this effect remained uncertain.