Riassunto dello studio

The benefits of exercise are wide-ranging and well-documented. In the context of knee osteoarthritis, however, there is debate about the benefits of exercise therapy. While exercise therapy is sure to be beneficial to the patient's overall health and metabolic profile, it is less clear whether exercise - especially weight-bearing exercise - improves or worsens disease in patients with or at risk of osteoarthritis (OA). In this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, the authors assess whether exercise therapy, compared to non-exercise controls, had an impact on the biochemical markers of inflammation in patients with or at risk of knee OA. They found that among 9 biomarkers including C-reactive protein, Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), none of the biomarkers were significantly raised or lower due to exercise therapy. Overall, there is no evidence that exercise significantly increases or decreases inflammation, at least based on surrogate outcomes.