Addition of text messages to encourage adherence, physical therapy no better for patients with knee pain, OA, meniscal tear
THURSDAY, Nov. 6, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The addition of text messages or physical therapy to home exercises is no better than home exercises alone for reducing pain among patients with knee pain, osteoarthritis, and meniscal tear, according to a study published online Oct. 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Jeffrey N. Katz, M.D., from Brigham and Women”s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial to examine the efficacy of physical therapy in 879 participants aged 45 to 85 years with knee pain, osteoarthritis, and meniscal tear. Participants were randomly assigned to home exercise (three-month program), home exercise plus text messages to encourage exercise adherence, home exercise plus text messages plus sham physical therapy, and home exercise plus text messages plus standard physical therapy. The change in the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) pain subscore between baseline and three months was the primary outcome.
The researchers found that the difference in the three-month change in the KOOS pain subscore was −0.1 points (98.3 percent confidence interval, −3.8 to 3.7) between home exercise and home exercise plus text messages and 2.5 points (98.3 percent confidence interval, −1.3 to 6.2) between home exercise and home exercise plus text messages plus standard physical therapy. The difference was 2.5 points (98.3 percent confidence interval, −1.4 to 6.5) between home exercise plus text messages and home exercise plus text messages plus standard physical therapy. Adverse events occurred infrequently, and were usually nonserious.
“On average, participants in all groups reported moderately severe pain at the start of the study and much milder pain three, six, and 12 months later,” Katz said in a statement. “We observed similar improvement in the standard PT (physical therapy) and sham PT groups, suggesting that personal interactions with a physical therapist may have been more influential than the physical therapy itself.”
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
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