Effects of Physical Exercises Alone on the Functional Capacity of Individuals with Obesity and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The association between obesity and knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is reported in the literature. The inflammatory factors described in obesity associated with mechanical overload on the knee joint lead to KOA development and reduced functional capacity in these individuals. Most physical exercise (PE) protocols associate a diet program to improve the functional capacity of individuals with concomitant KOA and obesity. There is a lack of published protocols performing PE alone, which would be without an associated diet program in individuals with both clinical conditions. In this systematic review, the authors summarize the effects of the application of PE alone, describing each protocol and reporting the improvement in the function of people with these clinical conditions. This investigation was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO. Five databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, PEDro, Scopus, CINAHL and Web of Science) were used up to July 2022 and ten studies, including 534 participants, met the inclusion criteria. The PEDro scale, Cochrane collaborations and ROBINS-I tools were used to evaluate the methodological quality and risk of bias. It was concluded that PE performed alone seems to provide an improvement in the functional capacity of these individuals even without an associated diet plan in the condition of obesity.

A comparison of the burden of knee osteoarthritis attributable to high body mass index in China and globally from 1990 to 2019

“…Although gender and age are innate factors, understanding knee OA epidemic patterns can reduce the disease burden. With regard to formulating policies, the government can provide targeted guidance, such as strengthening nursing care, organizing regular examinations, and encouraging women and the elderly to participate in more physical activities ( 10 , 57–59 ), all of which is beneficial to reducing the disease burden of susceptible groups ( 8 ). To stay health is not only to prevent death，but also to reduce the burden of disease from chronic disease.…”

“…It is important to note that knee OA is the most common form of OA because knee is the largest joint in the human body ( 5–7 ). In addition, knee OA can lead to joint replacements in late stages ( 8–10 ). With China’s population aging, knee OA will be one of the leading causes of disability and societal cost among the elderly ( 11 ).…”

Utilising a non-surgical intervention in the knee osteoarthritis care pathway: a 6-year retrospective audit on NHS patients

“…Current guidelines suggest a limited number of non-surgical options to manage symptoms, most of them with limited and short-term effects. 7 , 23 , 24 New non-surgical interventions are urgently needed to help manage the growing number of knee OA incidences as well as optimising and personalising care management. 8 More specifically, introducing new treatment options will help address the surgical waiting lists, which have doubled since COVID-19, and are constantly increasing, posing an immense burden on healthcare and society.…”

PLXNC1 interference alleviates the inflammatory injury, apoptosis and extracellular matrix degradation of IL-1β-exposed chondrocytes via suppressing GRP78 expression

“…Osteoarthritis (OA) is a frequently occurring joint disease with articular cartilage damage involving the whole joint, the clinical manifestations of which mainly include joint pain, stiffness and dysfunction [ 1 , 2 ]. The susceptible factors of OA include obesity, aging and overload exercise [ 3 , 4 ]. As unveiled by the epidemiological survey, the global case rate of OA has reached up to 16% in 2017 and the prevalence rises annually with an aging population [ 5 ].…”