Combined physical therapy interventions traditionally are frequently used in clinical practice for pain relief and to improve physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of two different physical therapy programmes on patients with knee osteoarthritis. A total 62 patients who fulfilled clinical and radiological criteria of the American College of Rheumatology for primary knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to two groups. After hot pack and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation applications, the first group was treated with isokinetic exercises and the second group with isotonic exercises. Both groups showed marked decreases of pain and increases of physical function, according to the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) index, immediately after treatment and three months later. The patients in both groups also showed a significant improvement in mental health scale of the Medical Outcomes 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). In conclusion, the present study showed that both physical therapy intervention programmes are an effective treatment for knee osteoarthritis, but isokinetic exercises work better.

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