Impact of Core Muscle Strengthening Exercises on Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) affects many, particularly the elderly, leading to pain and reduced quality of life. Core muscle strength deficits are prevalent in KOA patients, worsening their functional impairment. Emerging evidence suggests that core muscle strengthening may help treat KOA. Purpose of the Study: This systematic review examined whether adding core muscle strengthening exercises effectively improves pain, function, and physical performance in KOA. Methods: Using systematic review methods, studies examining the use of core strengthening as a treatment modality in people with KOA were located, appraised, and synthesized. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the methodological quality using the PEDro scale. The results of the studies were summarized for outcomes of pain, function, and physical performance following the interventions. Results: Four studies met the inclusion criteria, three of which were of high quality per PEDro scale. In general, pain was significantly reduced in three studies, whereas functional outcomes varied considerably among studies. Assessment of physical performance after the interventions was limited. Discussion: Prevalent research suggests that adding core muscle strengthening as a component of interventions for KOA has a favorable effect on knee function. However, changes in physical performance to contextualize the gains in pain and perceived functions have not been examined and must be explored in future research.