ReviewHealth science reports2026
Comparative Effectiveness of Combined Orthotic and Physiotherapy Interventions Versus Monotherapy in the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis on Clinical Parameters: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Review in Health science reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and Aims: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease affecting 22.9% of individuals over 40 years of age, causing pain and functional impairment. Orthotic devices and physiotherapy are standard treatments, but their combined effectiveness compared with that of monotherapy is unclear. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of combined orthotic and physiotherapy interventions versus monotherapy in improving clinical (e.g., pain, function) and quality of life (QOL) outcomes in knee OA patients. Methods: Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted across four databases for studies published until September 7, 2025. The review included Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) that specifically compared the outcomes of combined orthotic and physiotherapy interventions versus monotherapy. A narrative synthesis was performed due to the heterogeneity among the studies. Results: Four RCTs involving 240 participants were included. Monotherapy with orthotics or physiotherapy significantly improved clinical parameters such as pain and function. Combined interventions showed enhanced benefits in some cases, although the results varied. The risk of bias ranged from low to moderate in RCTs. Conclusion: Both orthotic and physiotherapy interventions are effective for knee OA, with combined approaches potentially offering additional benefits. However, heterogeneity and bias limit the certainty of the evidence. Future research should focus on large-scale, stratified RCTs to enhance the generalizability of the findings and inform personalized treatment strategies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.