Effects of pre-exercise patient education for promoting physical activity among knee pain patients visiting a clinic: A pilot study

Abstract

[Purpose] The objective of this study was to examine how 60 minutes of patient education before exercise classes affected promotion of physical activity (PA) among patients with knee pain. [Subjects and Methods] The study design was a single-blind, quasi-randomized controlled trial. The participants were 81 patients (age: >50 years) with knee pain. They were randomly classified into two groups: Ex + Edu (exercise and patient education) and Ex (exercise). Each participant took part in exercise classes and physical therapy for 12 weeks. Those in the Ex + Edu group additionally received 60 minutes of initial patient education before the class. This consisted of a lecture delivered by a physical therapist using a booklet. [Results] Subjective PA showed a relation between the groups, though its effect was small. However, physical function, pain, self-efficacy, pain catastrophizing, and quality of life showed no relation between the groups. [Conclusion] Patient education for 60 minutes before an exercise class was shown to promote PA, but the effect was small.