REVIEW article
Front. Rehabil. Sci.
Sec. Rehabilitation for Musculoskeletal Conditions
Rehabilitation Strategies for Knee Osteoarthritis: Exploring Physical Therapy, Personalized Training, and Digital Health Interventions
Provisionally accepted
- 1Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, China
- 2Department of Ultrasound Medicine,Union Hospital,Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- 3Clinical Research Center for Medical Imaging in Hubei Province, Wuhan, China
- 4Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Molecular Imaging, Wuhan, China
- 5Department of Joint Surgery,Wuhan Forth Hospital, Wuhan, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: The prevalence of knee osteoarthritis continues to rise, significantly impairing patients' quality of life. While pharmacological treatments offer limited and often short-term benefits, non-surgical rehabilitation strategies are gaining increasing clinical importance. Objective: This review systematically summarizes recent advances in non-surgical rehabilitation for knee osteoarthritis, aiming to inform evidence-based clinical practice. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted for English-language literature published in PubMed from the establishment of the 2 database through January 17, 2025. Randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, observational studies, and clinical guidelines were included. A total of 93 studies were included, and a narrative synthesis approach was used to summarize the evidence. Results: Physical therapies utilizing sound, light, electrical, and magnetic mechanisms can alleviate symptoms, though evidence regarding the long-term safety of some modalities remains limited. Exercise therapy possesses the most robust evidence base, demonstrating significant benefits for pain relief and functional improvement. Digital health technologies enhance rehabilitation accessibility and personalization, yet face challenges related to technical standardization and implementation. Health education and weight management constitute core self-management strategies with established efficacy. Conclusion: Non-surgical rehabilitation for knee osteoarthritis has evolved into an integrated framework centered on exercise therapy, supported by physical and digital modalities, and grounded in patient education and weight control. Future efforts should focus on developing personalized protocols and strengthening long-term outcome evaluation.
Keywords: Digital rehabilitation, Exercise Therapy, knee osteoarthritis, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation
Received: 05 Aug 2025; Accepted: 08 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Jin, Li, Beibei and Zuo. 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: Wei Zuo
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.