Knee brace most likely to yield best results for WOMAC pain score, followed by exercise and high-intensity laser therapy
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Of a dozen therapeutic options, knee brace seems to be the most recommended option for knee osteoarthritis (KOA), according to a study published online June 18 in PLOS ONE.
Xiao Chen, from the First People’s Hospital in Neijiang in China, and colleagues examined the effects of therapeutic options on KOA in a literature review of 139 randomized controlled trials, including 9,644 KOA patients and involving 12 therapeutic options.
The researchers found that knee brace was determined to be the most likely to yield the best results in terms of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score, followed by exercise and high-intensity laser therapy (HILT); ultrasound was the worst intervention. Knee brace was the technique with the highest likelihood of being optimal in terms of WOMAC function score, followed by hydrotherapy and extracorporeal shock-wave therapy; the worst intervention was ultrasound. For effectiveness concerning the WOMAC stiffness score, knee brace was ranked highest, followed by exercise and hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy demonstrated the highest probability of being the best technique for the total WOMAC score, followed by exercise and HILT; the worse intervention was short-wave diathermy. Knee brace had the highest probability of being the best technique based on the results obtained from Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve, followed by hydrotherapy and exercise.
“This study aims to ascertain the comparative effects of various physical therapies for knee osteoarthritis, aiding clinicians in precisely selecting the most suitable physical therapy method based on individual patient conditions, enhancing treatment efficacy, reducing unnecessary medical resource wastage, and providing robust guidance and evidence for future research directions,” the authors write.
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