Can Physiotherapy Fix Knee Pain and Osteoarthritis Without Surgery?
Physiotherapy can't regrow worn cartilage, so it doesn't "fix" osteoarthritis in the sense of reversing it. What it can do is cut pain, restore movement and delay or avoid surgery for a large share of people with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. For many, a structured 8 to 12 week programme works better than injections or painkillers alone. That's a more useful answer than a yes or no. It means the real question isn't whether physio works, but whether your knee is at a stage where it still can. This piece covers what the evidence shows, what a proper programme looks like week by week, and the signs that you've moved past what exercise can manage. What does the research say about physiotherapy for knee osteoarthritis? Good trials show physiotherapy reduces knee osteoarthritis pain and disability for at least a year, and holds up well against the treatments people usually reach for first. Major international guidelines recommend it as first-line treatme...