The purpose of this systematic review was to describe studies examining rehabilitation for people with osteoarthritis (OA) and to summarize findings from selected key systematic reviews (SRs) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
A systematic search was performed using Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane databases from April 1
From 1211 articles, 80 articles met the eligibility criteria including 21 SRs and 61 RCTs. The median of the methodological quality of the SRs and RCTs was 7 (2-9) and 6 (3-10), respectively. The studies were grouped into several themes, covering the most important rehabilitation fields.
Striking is the small number of studies investigating another joint (18%) than the knee (82%). Exercise is the most common treatment evaluated and should be accompanied with education to effectuate a behavioural change in physical activity of people with OA. No new insights in the field of braces (or orthoses) and in the field of acupuncture were found.