Trial reportBMJ (Clinical research ed.)2026
Provision of knee bracing for knee osteoarthritis (PROP OA): multicentre, parallel group, superiority, statistician blinded, randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Dissecting the genetic architecture of knee alignment reveals its contribution to osteoarthritis risk.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Yonder: Ethnic inequalities in breast cancer, denigration of general practice, knee braces, and health care on release from prison.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- Trifunctional synergistically designed 3D-Printed bone scaffold for infectious bone defect therapy: design strategy and clinical translation outlook.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Chromatin remodeling in bone organoids: from epigenetic regulation to disease modeling and therapeutic translation.Frontiers in genetics · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine whether adding compartment specific knee bracing with an adherence intervention to advice, written information, and exercise instruction (AIE+B) is superior to advice, written information, and exercise instruction (AIE) only in improving patient reported outcomes in people with knee osteoarthritis.
designMulticentre, parallel group, superiority, statistician blinded, randomised (1:1; block; stratified; centralised web based) controlled trial.
settingRecruitment through general practices and the community in Cheshire, Manchester, North Tyneside, and Staffordshire, England; enrolment 25 November 2019 to 16 September 2022.
participants466 adults aged ≥45 years with symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.
interventionsAIE was delivered in one in-person consultation by a trained physiotherapist. Individuals randomised to the AIE+B group were also fitted with a patellofemoral, tibiofemoral unloading, or neutral stabilising knee brace, according to their predominant compartmental distribution of knee osteoarthritis, and were offered a two week follow-up consultation. Brief motivational interviewing with targeted text reminders supported brace adherence.
main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was a composite patient reported Knee Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score (KOOS)-5 (0-100) at six months after randomisation. Key secondary outcomes were KOOS-5 at three and 12 months, KOOS-5 subscale scores, and pain on weight bearing activity at three, six, and 12 months.
results466 participants (mean age 64 (standard deviation 9) years; 46% female participants) were randomised, with 401 (86%), 394 (85%), and 370 (79%) participants followed up with analysable data at three, six, and 12 months, respectively. At six months, greater improvement in KOOS-5 was seen in the AIE+B group than in the AIE group (adjusted mean difference 3.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96 to 5.82; effect size 0.24). Secondary outcomes showed the benefits of AIE+B over AIE that diminished over time. The largest effects observed were for pain reduction (KOOS pain (0-100) adjusted mean difference at six months 6.13, 95% CI 3.36 to 8.91; effect size 0.39). Adverse events were minor and expected.
conclusionsAdding compartment specific knee bracing and an adherence intervention to advice, written information, and exercise instruction resulted in small improvements in patient reported outcomes among individuals with knee osteoarthritis. This safe intervention offers a potential treatment option for this common condition.
trial registrationISRCTN28555470.
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