Supervised exercise and education improve knee health, reduce pain

Supervised exercise and education improve knee health, reduce pain, and enhance quality of life for young adults recovering from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, according to a clinical trial led by researchers at La Trobe University.

The findings offer solutions for addressing the elevated risk of early-onset knee osteoarthritis that affects many patients under 40 years old following a serious knee injury. Half of patients are dissatisfied with their knee health two years after the procedure. Roughly half develop signs of early-onset knee osteoarthritis within a decade.

The SUPER-Knee clinical trial evaluated the benefits of combining exercise therapy and patient education more than nine months after ACL reconstruction. Researchers at La Trobe University’s Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre conducted the work.

The study enrolled 184 adults aged 18 to 40 who were still struggling with knee symptoms one to three years after surgery. They were assigned to either a progressive exercise therapy program or a comparison group that received a single educational session.

Participants who completed the four-month program guided by a physical therapist reported improvements in knee health and muscle strength, along with less pain and better quality of life. The findings were published in Annals of Internal Medicine. The benefits occurred without evidence that the exercises damaged knee cartilage or worsened early osteoarthritis.

Our study showed physiotherapist-supervised exercise therapy and education is safe and should be recommended to improve the knee health of young people at high risk of early-onset osteoarthritis following ACL reconstruction.

Associate Professor Adam Culvenor

Ruby Cumming recovered from an ACL tear sustained in 2019 at age 24 while playing Australian rules football. She faced years of persistent pain. She underwent reconstructive surgery within six weeks and committed to regular physical therapy. She experienced daily knee pain for three to four years and ultimately stopped playing contact sports.

Her daily challenges changed after enrolling in the SUPER-Knee trial.

When I joined the SUPER-Knee program and did weekly physio-supervised rehab, this improved my pain significantly.

Ruby Cumming

The research was funded through a Project Grant from Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

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