Physical therapy is a cornerstone of management for knee osteoarthritis, Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Knee replacement is the last stop when it comes to managing knee osteoarthritis, says Stefan Coombs, an orthopedic surgeon at Johns Hopkins. Physical therapy is a modality that may enable people to avoid surgery altogether, he says.

Coombs: Physical therapy in knee osteoarthritis has been shown to be of tremendous benefit and a combination of manual physical therapy and supervised exercise yields functional benefits for patients and may delay or even prevent the surgical intervention. Therapy usually involves range of motion, strengthening, manual therapy, aerobic activities as well. The best aerobic activities come in the form of low impact exercises which do not put excessive pressure or stress on your knee.         :32

Coombs says a physical therapist with expertise and interest in knees should be sought, and seen in conjunction with other strategies like weight loss and pain relief. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.