Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40708052›Full record

ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2025

Neuromuscular exercise in addition to celecoxib versus celecoxib alone for symptomatic and radiographic knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial.

Xiaotian Yang, Haixin Song, Xuqing Li, Tao Wu, Jianhua Li, Chengqi He

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In one paragraph

Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Xiaotian YangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310016, China. xiaotian.yang@zju.edu.cn.
Haixin SongDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310016, China.
Xuqing LiDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310016, China.
Tao WuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310016, China.
Jianhua LiDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No.3 East Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310016, China.
Chengqi HeDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 82102646
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundNeuromuscular exercise (NEXA) and celecoxib each are effective for treating knee osteoarthritis (OA), but the potential benefits of combination therapy remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of NEXA in addition to celecoxib compared to celecoxib alone on pain and physical function in patients with symptomatic and radiographic knee OA.

methodsA prospective, assessor-blinded, two-arm, superiority randomised controlled trial. Sixty participants with Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) grade 2-3 symptomatic knee OA were included and randomly assigned 1:1 to undergo 12 weeks NEXA and celecoxib or to receive celecoxib 200 mg once daily alone. The primary outcomes were visual analog scale (VAS) and total Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score at 6 months. The secondary outcomes included the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), six-minute walk test, and Timed Up and Go (TUG) test at 3 months and 6 months.

resultsAt 6 months, the between-group differences in the VAS score (mean difference, -10.30; 95% CI, -19.38 to -1.23; P = 0.026) and total WOMAC score (mean difference, -10.40; 95% CI, -15.54 to -5.27; P < 0.001) were statistically in favour of the NEXA and celecoxib group. There was evidence that NEXA in addition to celecoxib were superior to celecoxib alone for KOOS symptoms score (P = 0.040), KOOS activities of daily living score (P < 0.001), KOOS sport and recreation score (P = 0.014), KOOS quality of life score (P = 0.036), six-min walk test (P = 0.006), and TUG test (P = 0.001) at 6 months. The NEXA and celecoxib group achieved significantly higher proportions of patients above the minimal clinically important difference in total WOMAC score (78.6% vs. 51.9% for absolute improvement; 75% vs. 37% for relative improvement) at 6 months.

conclusionsCompared with celecoxib alone, there was a beneficial effect of NEXA in addition to celecoxib on pain and physical function in patients with symptomatic and radiographic knee OA at 6 months.

trial registrationChiCTR-IOR-14,005,414, 31/10/2014.

Indexed as

CelecoxibKneeNeuromuscular exerciseOsteoarthritisPhysical function

Identifiers

PMID40708052
PMCPMC12288239

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.