Educational program promoting regular physical exercise improves functional capacity and daily living physical activity in subjects with knee osteoarthritis

摘要

Physical exercise and educational programs promote several benefits for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, little is known about the effects of educational programs promoting the regular practice of physical exercise. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of an interdisciplinary educational program, emphasizing the recommendation for regular practice of physical exercise, on functional capacity and daily living physical activity in individuals with knee OA. Two hundred and thirty-nine individuals (50 men) with an established diagnosis of knee OA (degree I to IV in the Kelgreen and Lawrence scale) were randomly allocated into a multidisciplinary educational program (EDU; n?=?112) or control group (CON; n?=?127). Functional capacity (sit and reach, 6-min walking test (6MWT), timed up and down stairs test, timed up and go test (TUGT), and five times sit-to-stand test (FTSST)) and daily living physical activity (IPAQ, short version) were measured before, during (6?months) and after 12?months of follow-up. Body mass index reduced significantly (P?