Key Takeaways

Home exercises can reduce knee pain from arthritis and cartilage tears

The exercises reduced pain up to a year

It’s not certain whether physical therapy is truly beneficial on top of the exercises

THURSDAY, Oct. 30, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Home exercises can effectively ease knee pain caused by cartilage tears and arthritis , apparently with or without physical therapy, a new study says.

The stretching and strengthening exercises provided about the same amount of pain relief whether or not a person got real or sham physical therapy, researchers reported Oct. 29 in The New England Journal of Medicine .

“On average, participants in all groups reported moderately severe pain at the start of the study and much milder pain three, six and 12 months later,” lead research

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