SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Family Medicine and Primary Care
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1665680
This article is part of the Research TopicIntegrating Approaches Traditional and Biomedical Therapies in Rheumatological and other Inflammatory Musculoskeletal DiseasesView all 5 articles
Home-based traditional Chinese exercise for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Provisionally accepted
- Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Background: Home-based traditional Chinese exercise (TCE) has been proven to be a promising method for improving knee function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). However, no consensus has been reached among studies on its effectiveness. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the home-based TCE, including Tai Chi, Baduanjin, Yijinjing, and Wuqinxi, for improving knee function, pain, quality of life, and mental health in patients with KOA. Methods: Eight electronic databases including PubMed, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from their inception to February 2025. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed methodological quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4. Results: Eleven RCTs involving 854 participants were included. TCE showed a significant improvement in general knee function (SMD = -0.61; 95% CI: -1.02 to -0.20; P = 0.003), pain (SMD = -0.52; 95% CI: -0.88 to -0.15; P = 0.006), the physical quality of life (SMD = -0.41; 95% CI: -0.80 to -0.02; P = 0.04), and depression (SMD = -1.00; 95% CI: -1.74 to -0.26; P = 0.008) with minimal adverse events. However, data on stiffness and cost-effectiveness were limited. Conclusion: Home-based TCE is a safe and effective complementary intervention for managing KOA, particularly when integrated into a structured programme combining supervised sessions and home-based practice. Further high-quality RCTs with standardised protocols and longer follow-up are warranted.
Keywords: traditional Chinese exercise, knee osteoarthritis, Home-based rehabilitation, Systematic review, Meta-analysis, randomized controlled trials
Received: 14 Jul 2025; Accepted: 22 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Lu, Yan and Shan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yawei Shan, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
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