Exercise and education for knee osteoarthritis-What are accredited exercise physiologists providing?

OBJECTIVES

Clinical guidelines for the non-surgical management of knee osteoarthritis (OA) recommend exercise and education. This study aimed to evaluate the extent to which accredited exercise physiologists (AEPs) deliver exercise and education for knee OA and how it aligns with clinical practice guidelines.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

METHOD

An online survey targeted to AEPs across Australia to understand the exercise and education content of their interventions for knee OA. Likert scale and multiple-choice questions were used to measure responses relating to exercise prescription. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the nature of education being delivered by AEPs. The revised neurophysiology of pain questionnaire (r-NPQ) was used to quantify pain neuroscience knowledge.

RESULTS

A total of 161 AEPs completed the survey (63 men, 98 women; mean experience 5.8 ± 4.7 years). Exercises commonly prescribed included: strength (99% of respondents), weight bearing (90%) and aerobic (83%), with 98% of AEPs prescribing exercise for the affected and unaffected limb. Only 32% of respondents frequently considered prescribing 'exercise into pain'. The four main education themes were exercise (86%), self-management (61%), weight loss (56%) and pain management (51%). Specific pain neuroscience education (PNE) was provided by only 21% of respondents.

CONCLUSIONS

Exercise prescription mostly aligned with evidence-based recommendations. The education component of AEP interventions for knee OA focused on the benefits of exercise. However, other education guideline recommendations about the disease, appropriate treatments and self-management were underutilised. The PNE knowledge of AEPs was comparable with other secondary care providers, although only a minority of AEPs provide PNE.