In a recent systematic review and meta-analysis, researchers evaluated the pain relief and safety of manual therapy (MT) for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) treatment. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using Cochrane’s risk-of-bias tool and the GRADE tool, and data analysis was performed using Stata software. Random effects models were used to analyze the data, and meta-regression assessed the impact of treatment period, patient age, and sex ratio on outcomes.
The review included 25 studies with a total of 2,376 participants. The findings suggest that MT significantly reduces pain in patients with KOA, showing superiority over usual care (SMD = 2.04, 95% CI 0.94, 3.14) and exercise (SMD = 1.56, 95% CI 0.41, 2.71) for pain relief. Additionally, MT beyond a 4-week treatment period (SMD = 1.56) may be more effective than shorter treatments (SMD = 1.24). No serious adverse events related to MT were reported. Researchers concluded that MT appears to be a safe and effective short-term pain relief option for KOA patients, noting that both its long-term efficacy and potential risks should be considered based on evidence-based outcomes.
Reference: Zhu B, Ba H, Kong L, et al. The effects of manual therapy in pain and safety of patients with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst Rev. 2024 Mar 19;13(1):91. doi: 10.1186/s13643-024-02467-7. PMID: 38504373; PMCID: PMC10949788.
