The Alexander Technique may reduce muscle tension in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA)

What is it about?

People with knee OA have been shown to walk with increased tension in their knee muscles. This elevated tension will increase the stress on the knee joint and this could lead to increased pain and joint damage. This study showed that the Alexander Technique, a method of health education which aims to teach people to improve muscle coordination, could be used reduce muscle tension in people with knee OA.

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Why is it important?

Current physiotherapy approaches to managing knee osteoarthritis tend to focus on muscle strengthening and/or aerobic exercise programmes. Along with reductions in muscle tension, we observed large reductions in pain following Alexander Technique instruction. These results motivate further study into interventions which may be be effective at improving muscle coordination in people with knee OA.

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