A home-based program of simple quadriceps exercises reduces knee pain and improves knee function in overweight people with knee pain.

Question: Does a program of quadriceps exercises or dietary advice, or both, reduce knee pain and improve knee function in people living in the community with knee pain? Design: Factorial, randomised, controlled trial. Setting: Five general practices in the United Kingdom with interventions delivered through home visits. Participants: Community dwellers aged at least 45 years, who were overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 28) and complained of knee pain on most days of the past month. Randomisation of 389 participants allotted 82 to the quadriceps exercise group, 122 to the dietary advice group, 109 to the quadriceps exercise and dietary advice group, and 76 to a control group. Interventions: The exercise groups were taught the exercises at home by a dietitian and received up to 6 further home visits over 24 months. Exercise participants were asked to complete ≥ 2 exercises a day, with 5 to 20 repetitions of each exercise. The exercises progressed from quadriceps setting exercises, to exercises with elasticised bands, to functional activities such as stepping up and down off a step. The dietary groups received individualised advice to reduce weight, newsletters with recipe ideas, and one home visit A home-based program of simple quadriceps exercises reduces knee pain and improves knee function in overweight people with knee pain Synopsis