Does exercise therapy treat knee osteoarthritis?

Knee osteoarthritis can cause pain with stairs, squatting, walking, or standing up, along with stiffness after sitting. Exercise does not reverse the joint’s structural changes. It can, however, improve the muscles that support the knee and help the joint tolerate useful movement more comfortably.

A physiotherapist may assess knee motion, thigh strength, balance, walking, and the activities you want to keep doing. The plan can be adapted during a flare rather than abandoned altogether.

Your programme may use quadriceps and hip strengthening, sit-to-stand practice, step work, balance drills, and low-impact aerobic exercise such as cycling or water exercise. Begin with a comfortable range and manageable resistance, then progress gradually as control improves.

Warm up with gentle movement and spread activity through the day if prolonged sessions increase stiffness. A supportive brace, walking aid, or other option may be discussed when symptoms interfere with a specific task; the choice depends on your knee and examination.

Book an assessment if pain is steadily worsening, the knee repeatedly gives way or locks, swelling keeps returning, or you are losing the ability to manage normal activities. Seek urgent care after an injury if you cannot bear weight, the knee looks deformed, or it becomes hot and swollen with fever.

Ask which exercises target your weak areas, how to modify them when the knee swells, whether cycling or water exercise suits you, and what changes would justify imaging or another treatment.