Effects of Structured Exercise and Pain Neuroscience Education on Pain Qualifiers in Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis is a common condition that causes long-term knee pain, stiffness, and difficulty in daily activities. Many people with knee osteoarthritis experience different types of pain sensations such as aching, burning, or sharp pain, which can affect their quality of life. Exercise therapy is commonly recommended for managing knee osteoarthritis pain; however, pain education may further improve pain experience by helping individuals better understand and manage their pain.This study aims to compare the effects of a structured exercise program alone and a structured exercise program combined with pain education on pain characteristics in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. Participants will be randomly allocated into two groups. Both groups will receive supervised structured exercises three times per week for four weeks. In addition, one group will receive weekly pain education sessions along with exercise, while the other group will receive exercise alone.Pain characteristics, pain intensity, physical function, and pain-related psychological factors will be assessed before and after the four-week intervention period. The findings of this study may help improve non-surgical management strategies for knee osteoarthritis by identifying whether adding pain education to exercise provides additional benefits in reducing knee pain and improving function.