| Title: |
Painful exercise for people with knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled feasibility trial |
| Authors: |
Ram, A; Kovats, A; Pandit, A; Ram, P; Gibbs, MT; Booth, J; Thom, JM; Jones, MD |
| Source: |
urn:ISSN:0963-8288 ; urn:ISSN:1464-5165 ; Disability and Rehabilitation, 48, 2, 350-358 |
| Publisher Information: |
Taylor & Francis |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Collection: |
UNSW Sydney (The University of New South Wales): UNSWorks |
| Subject Terms: |
32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences; 3202 Clinical Sciences; 42 Health Sciences; Chronic Pain; Arthritis; Osteoarthritis; Pain Research; Physical Activity; Aging; Patient Safety; Clinical Trials and Supportive Activities; Clinical Research; Behavioral and Social Science; 6.1 Pharmaceuticals; 6.7 Physical; Humans; Knee; Female; Aged; Male; Feasibility Studies; Exercise Therapy; Middle Aged; Pain Measurement; Patient Compliance; Treatment Outcome; Pain Management; Pain; Pain Threshold; Exercise |
| Description: |
Purpose: Determine the feasibility of painful exercise for people with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) to inform a future randomised controlled trial. Materials and methods: People with KOA were randomised into painful (INT) or non-painful (CON) exercise groups. Both groups performed supervised exercise twice per week for 6 weeks and received standardised education. Feasibility was assessed using participant recruitment and retention rates as well as exercise adherence and compliance. Secondary outcomes included pain, function, strength, pressure pain threshold, psychosocial measures, global impression of change, and adverse events. Results: Twenty participants (67.4 ± 8.9 years old; 18 females) were randomised and 18 completed the study. Feasibility was supported by satisfactory rates of recruitment (INT 89%, CON 89%) and retention (INT 91%, CON 100%) as well as exercise adherence (INT 91%, CON 92%) and compliance (INT 72%, CON 81%). Outcomes improved similarly between groups, except for strength which increased more in INT compared to CON (13.0 [0.2–25.9] kg). Four participants (3 INT, 1 CON) took analgesic medication for exercise-induced pain exacerbations. No other adverse events were reported. Conclusion: When combined with education, painful exercise is feasible for KOA. Future research comparing the effectiveness and safety of painful exercise in KOA is warranted. Registration: ACTRN12622001231730. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
unknown |
| Relation: |
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/104808; https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2025.2504614 |
| DOI: |
10.1080/09638288.2025.2504614 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.4/104808; https://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/bitstreams/8f563fb7-726b-49b8-ae29-ec96d6be5fc3/download; https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2025.2504614 |
| Rights: |
open access ; https://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 ; CC-BY-NC-ND ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ; CC BY-NC-ND ; free_to_read |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.D990E7E |
| Database: |
BASE |