A Comparison of Home-Based Exercise Programs with and without Self-Manual Therapy in Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis in Community

Sep 30, 2026

A randomized study compared home-based exercise programs in community-dwelling individuals with knee osteoarthritis, evaluating the added value of self-manual therapy. Forty-three participants received the same 12-week home exercise program either alone or combined with self-manual therapy. Pain intensity, joint range of motion, six-minute walk distance, KOOS, SF-36, and satisfaction were measured. Self-manual therapy reduced pain at 4 weeks, improved flexion/extension at 4 and 12 weeks, and enhanced KOOS pain and SF-36 physical and mental health.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Objective

Material and Method

Participants and assignment

Intervention and measures

Results

Conclusion

Keywords

A Comparison of Home-Based Exercise Programs with and without Self-Manual Therapy in Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis in Community Kornkamon Cheawthamai PT*, MantanaVongsirinavarat PhD*, Vimonwan Hiengkaew PhD*, Sasithorn Saengrueangrob PT* * Faculty of Physical Therapy, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the treatment programs of home-based exercise with and without self-manual therapy in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (knee OA) in community. Material and Method: Forty-three participants with knee OA were randomly assigned in groups. All participants received the same home-based exercise program with or without self-manual therapy over 12 weeks. Outcome measures were pain intensity, range of motions, six-minute walk test distance, the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS), shortform 36 (SF-36) and satisfaction. Results: The results showed that the self-manual therapy program significantly decreased pain at 4 weeks, increasedflexion and extension at 4 and 12 weeks, and improved the KOOSin pain item and SF-36 in physicalfunction and mental health items. The home-based exercise group showed significant increase of the six-minute walk distance at 4 and 12 weeks, improvements in the KOOS in pain and symptom items and SF-36 in the physical function and role-emotional items. Conclusion: Overall, the results favored a combination of self-manual therapy and home-based exercise for patients with knee OA, which apparently showed superior benefits in decreasing pain and improving active knee range of motions. Keywords: Knee osteoarthritis, Self-manual therapy, Home-based exercise, Physical therapy, Community J MedAssoc Thai 2014; 97 (Suppl. 7): S95-S100 Full text. e-Journal: [http://www.jmatonline.com](http://www.jmatonline.com) Knee osteoarthritis (knee OA) is one of the most prevalent rheumatic disease(1) . Therapeutic exercise and manual therapy are common interventions used by physical therapists with aims to reduce pain, improve physical function and quality of life(2) . The combination of manual therapy applied by physical therapists with home exercise is more effective than only exercise treatment in terms of improved physical function, reduced medications for arthritis and may have delayed or eliminated knee surgery(3). For patients in the community, treatment accessibility and cost are major issues because of the limited resources of physical therapy services in the hospital setting. The alternative home program for physical therapists teaches patients how to perform simple techniques of manual therapy by themselves. However, the evidence of the usefulness of self-manual therapy in patients with knee OA is lacking. The purpose of the present Correspondence to: Vongsirinavarat M, 999 Phuttamonthon 4 Road, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand. Phone: 0-2441-5450 ext. 20803, Fax: 0-2441-5454 E-mail: [mantana.von@mahidol.ac.th](mantana.von@mahidol.ac.th) study was to determine the effectiveness of homebased exercises with and without self-manual therapy for individuals with knee OAin the community. Material and Method Females with a diagnosis of knee OA based on the clinical criteria of the American College of Rheumatology(4) were invited to join the present study. Participants were excluded if they had systemic joint diseases, cerebrovascular conditions, Parkinson’s Disease, received corticosteroid injections within the previous 30 days, had lower limb surgery or back and lower limb injury within the previous six weeks. They were instructed to keep taking any current medication and were disallowed to take new medication for OA and physical therapy intervention for their knee while enrolled in the present study. The present study protocol was approved by Mahidol University Institutional Review Board (MU-IRB 2013/038.2703). The participants were randomized into two groups: home-based exercise only a

FAQs

What was the main objective of the study?

To compare the effectiveness of home-based exercise programs with and without self-manual therapy in individuals with knee osteoarthritis in the community.

How were participants assigned and how long was the intervention?

Forty-three participants were randomly assigned to groups and received the home-based exercise program for 12 weeks, either with or without self-manual therapy.

Which outcomes improved with the self-manual therapy combined program?

The self-manual therapy program significantly decreased pain at 4 weeks, increased knee flexion and extension at 4 and 12 weeks, and improved KOOS pain items and SF-36 physical function and mental health items.

Sep 30, 2026

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