Exercise’s Role in Osteoarthritis Pain Relief is Less Than Expected

A recent review of existing scientific evidence has raised fresh questions about how effective exercise really is as a treatment for osteoarthritis, the degenerative joint disease that causes pain, stiffness and impaired movement in commonly affected joints such as the knees, hips and hands. The analysis suggests that while physical activity does lead to some pain reduction, its benefits may be smaller or less definitive than widely believed, leading experts to urge a balanced interpretation of the findings. 

The review team conducted an “umbrella review,” which synthesises results from multiple systematic reviews and clinical trials to provide a broad overview of the research. After evaluating thousands of published studies, the authors included five major systematic reviews and 28 more recent clinical trials involving more than 12,000 patients overall. They compared outcomes of exercise interventions with no treatment, placebo, education, manual therapy, medications, injections and surgery. 

Across hip, knee and hand osteoarthritis, exercise was associated with only modest reductions in pain – roughly 6 to 12 points on a 100-point scale – compared with doing nothing or placebo treatments. Improvements in physical function were not significantly greater than control groups. For knee and hip cases, exercise’s effect on pain and function was found to be comparable with common medical options such as ibuprofen or corticosteroid injections, which also tended to reduce pain by around 5–10%. 

However, the authors noted several important limitations of their analysis. Most notably, the review pooled all types of exercise together, from strength training and aerobic workouts to stretching, aquatic therapy and tai chi, despite evidence that different modalities may produce varying outcomes. It also did not distinguish between supervised and unsupervised exercise, even though supervised programmes generally yield better results. The short duration of many studies – often about 12 weeks – further limits conclusions about long-term benefits. 

Experts stress that these limitations likely underestimate the true value of exercise. Other research indicates that structured exercise programmes, particularly those combining aerobic activity with strength training, can meaningfully improve pain, function, mobility and quality of life for people with osteoarthritis. Aerobic activities such as walking, cycling or swimming are often highlighted for their broader physical benefits beyond joint pain. 

While the new analysis suggests the benefits of exercise for pain and function may be modest and short-lived, clinicians say it remains a valuable, low-risk treatment option, especially when tailored to individual needs and combined with other therapies. Exercise also carries wider health advantages such as better cardiovascular fitness, mood and weight management, making it a recommended part of holistic osteoarthritis management. 

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