Keywords
recommendations
physical activity
non-pharmacological treatment
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Abstract
Osteoarthritis is a disease with significant social impact, which greatly reduces the quality of life. Treatment involves a comprehensive therapeutic program, a combination of non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions. Non-pharmacological treatment is essential for reducing pain and improving the functional capacity of the musculoskeletal system. After the publication of the EULAR recommendations for non-pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee joints in 2013, many studies were presented regarding the effectiveness of the main non-pharmacological treatment methods and new aspects of their application and monitoring. This highlights the need for their updating, which was done in 2018 and 2023. Additionally, due to the exceptional importance of physical activity and new publications, including the new WHO guidelines for physical activity and sedentary lifestyles, as well as the application of various technologies and apps, there was a need to update the existing recommendations. They are based on numerous clinical studies and have been established as the foundation of treatment for patients with OA. We conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature to present the need for their application in clinical practice.
References
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Copyright (c) 2026 Vassilia Terzieva, Vladimira Boyadzhieva, Mariana Ivanova, Nikolay Stoilov (Author)