ArticleOsteoarthritis and cartilage open2026
FREquency of strength home exercises for knee osteoarthritis pain: Protocol for the FRESH non-inferiority randomised controlled trial.
Article in Osteoarthritis and cartilage open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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8 authors.
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Abstract
Objective: To determine if a strength exercise program prescribed once a week is non-inferior to the same program prescribed three times a week, as measured by change in average walking pain at 3 months post-randomisation, in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Design: A parallel two-arm non-inferiority randomised controlled trial, involving 178 people aged ≥45 years, with chronic knee pain consistent with OA. This protocol is reported in accordance with SPIRIT 2025 guidelines. Following baseline assessment, participants are randomised (1:1 allocation ratio) to receive the same home strength exercise program (3 sets of 12 repetitions of 5 lower limb exercises for approximately 3 months) prescribed either i) once weekly or ii) three times weekly. Participants are then randomly assigned to a physiotherapist, who prescribes the exercise program via videoconferencing at the allocated frequency. The primary outcome is the change in knee pain intensity during walking, measured on a numerical rating scale (0-10) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes include the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index pain and function subscales, quality-of-life, arthritis and exercise self-efficacy, global rating of change, patient-specific functional scale, acceptance of symptoms, muscle strength/power, and willingness to undergo joint replacement. Ethics and dissemination: Approved by the University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Committee (#2025-33625-70884-3). Dissemination will occur via infographics, lay summaries, conference abstracts, presentations, and journal publications. Clinical trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry #ACTRN12625001084471. Prospectively registered on 3/10/2025. Conclusions: Findings will determine whether a less frequently prescribed exercise program is non-inferior to a more frequent exercise program for pain in knee OA.
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