The effects of group cycling on gait and pain-related disability in individuals with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial

Randomized controlled trial. To determine the effectiveness of a community-based program of stationary group cycling on gait, pain, and physical function in individuals with mild-to-moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA). Knee pain and disability are common symptoms in individuals with knee OA. Though exercise for knee OA has acknowledged benefits, it has the potential to aggravate symptoms in some instances. Thirty-seven subjects (27 women, 10 men) with a mean ± SD age of 57.7 ± 9.8 years were randomly assigned to a cycling (n = 19) or control (n = 18) group for a 12-week intervention study. Outcome variables, measured at baseline and 12 weeks, included preferred and maximal gait velocity, a visual analog pain scale at rest and following a 6-minute walk test, muscle strength, and functional-outcome questionnaires. Data were analyzed using mixed-model analyses of variance for group and time differences. After 12 weeks, the individuals receiving the cycling intervention showed significantly greater improvements (P