Massage therapy delivered twice weekly for twelve weeks produced greater improvements in pain, stiffness, and physical function than healthcare education in people with medial knee osteoarthritis, according to a randomized controlled trial published in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.
The trial was conducted as a prospective, single-center, assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial. A total of 56 participants with medial knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned in equal numbers to a massage therapy group or a healthcare education group, with 28 participants in each arm. Participants received their assigned intervention twice weekly over the twelve-week treatment period. The trial was registered with the International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry under identifier ITMCTR2025001524.
The primary outcome was the change in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score from baseline. Secondary outcomes covered a broader set of clinical and biomechanical measures: WOMAC stiffness and physical function subscales, muscle co-contraction, the external knee adduction moment, the knee adduction angular impulse, knee flexion angle, and walking speed.
On the primary endpoint, the massage group showed greater reductions in WOMAC pain than the healthcare education group. Massage therapy also produced greater reductions in WOMAC stiffness and greater improvement in physical function. In addition, the massage group showed a significant reduction in medial muscle co-contraction during the early stance phase of gait, suggesting a change in how muscles around the knee are activated during walking.
Not every measured outcome moved in the same direction. The researchers reported no significant between-group differences in the external knee adduction moment, the knee adduction angular impulse, or walking speed. In other words, although symptoms and muscle activation patterns improved, the trial did not detect changes in the mechanical loading measures at the knee joint or in how fast participants walked.
The authors concluded that twelve weeks of massage therapy resulted in greater improvements in pain, stiffness, physical function, and medial muscle co-contraction than healthcare education in individuals with medial knee osteoarthritis. They noted that these findings suggest massage therapy may improve symptoms and neuromuscular function in people with knee osteoarthritis, while the loading outcomes remained unchanged between the two groups.
The study addresses a gap identified by its authors: evidence on the effects of massage therapy for pain, muscle co-contraction, and knee loading in medial knee osteoarthritis has remained limited.
As with any single-center trial of this size, the results should be interpreted in light of the study’s scope. The trial enrolled 56 participants at one center, used assessor blinding, and compared massage therapy against healthcare education rather than a sham intervention. The reported benefits apply to the outcomes measured over the twelve-week intervention period, and the absence of significant differences in knee loading and walking speed indicates that the symptomatic and neuromuscular improvements were not accompanied by detectable changes in those biomechanical measures in this trial.
Subject of Research: Effects of 12-week massage therapy on pain, muscle co-contraction, and knee loading in medial knee osteoarthritis
Article Title: Effects of 12-week massage on pain, muscle co-contraction, and knee loading in medial knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial
Article References: Pan, F., Lu, J., Wang, G., Chen, B., Zhao, Z., Zhan, H., & Zhang, M. (2026). Effects of 12-week massage on pain, muscle co-contraction, and knee loading in medial knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-026-03555-5
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s40520-026-03555-5
Keywords: knee osteoarthritis, massage therapy, randomized controlled trial, WOMAC pain score, muscle co-contraction, knee adduction moment, physical function, gait biomechanics, rehabilitation, Effects, week, massage
News Source: Ophelia Keating. (October 28, 2026). Twelve Weeks of Massage Eased Pain and Stiffness in Medial Knee Osteoarthritis Trial. Scienmag.
