Patient-reported use of nonoperative treatments at different stages of care
| Nonoperative treatment | No. (%) of patients;* stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Prereferral n = 248† | Presurgery n = 119 | Long-term follow-up n = 14 | |
| Physiotherapy | 123 (49.6) | 40 (33.6) | 7 (50.0) |
| Recommended but opted out | 11 (4.4) | 1 (0.8) | 0 |
| Chiropractic therapy | 17 (6.9) | 6 (5.0) | 1 (7.1) |
| Recommended but opted out | 1 (0.4) | 0 | 0 |
| Occupational therapy | 7 (2.8) | 4 (3.4) | 1 (7.1) |
| Recommended but opted out | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Massage therapy | 33 (13.3) | 9 (7.6) | 2 (16.0) |
| Osteopathy | 8 (3.2) | 1 (0.8) | 1 (7.1) |
| Acupuncture | 18 (7.3) | 7 (5.9) | 0 (4.0) |
| Pedorthist or orthotist services | 57 (23.0) | 14 (11.8) | 1 (7.1) |
| Intra-articular joint injections | 142 (57.3) | 33 (27.7) | 2 (14.3) |
| Corticosteroid | 122 (49.2) | 29 (24.4) | 1 (7.1) |
| Hyaluronic acid | 37 (14.9) | 1 (0.8) | 0 |
| Unknown | 10 (4.0) | 2 (1.7) | 1 (7.1) |
| Other | 2 (0.8) | 0 | 0 |
| Recommended but opted out | 12 (4.8) | 1 (0.8) | 1 (7.1) |
| Weight loss | 53 (21.4) | 34 (28.6) | 5 (35.7) |
| No. of kg lost, mean ± SD | 9.1 ± 9.7 | 6.1 ± 5.9 | 7.2 ± 6.4 |
| Exercise | 176 (71.0) | 92 (77.3) | 8 (57.1) |
| Aerobic | 128 (51.6) | 75 (63.0) | 5 (35.7) |
| Resistance | 88 (35.5) | 39 (32.8) | 4 (28.6) |
| Stretching | 116 (46.8) | 67 (56.3) | 3 (21.4) |
| Other | 4 (1.6) | 0 | 2 (14.3) |
| Activity modification | 201 (81.0) | 93 (72.8) | 7 (50.0) |
| Gait aid | 92 (37.1) | 52 (43.7) | 5 (35.7) |
| Topical NSAID | 183 (73.8) | 70 (58.8) | 4 (28.6) |
| Knee sleeve or brace | 105 (42.3) | 42 (35.3) | 4 (28.6) |
| Specialized footwear | 76 (30.6) | 32 (26.9) | 4 (28.6) |
| Oral medications | 209 (84.3) | 107 (89.9) | 7 (50.0) |
| NSAIDs | 143 (57.7) | 79 (66.4) | 4 (28.6) |
| Analgesics | 169 (68.1) | 70 (58.8) | 2 (14.3) |
| Steroids | 6 (2.4) | 8 (6.7) | 1 (7.1) |
| Antirheumatoid agents | 5 (2.0) | 3 (2.5) | 0 |
| Other | 22 (8.9) | 24 (20.2) | 0 |
NSAID = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; SD = standard deviation.
↵* Unless indicated otherwise.