Introduction. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic condition that requires a complex and long-term approach. Patient empowerment and self-management could be an effective strategy for OA; however, the effectiveness of these interventions remains controversial. Material and methods. The aim was to assess compliance with the self-management exercises program in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study included 82 patients that fulfilled the ACR criteria for OA (63 females and 19 males), mean age of 61,8±9,2 years. All the patients received a 10-day exercise program which included also education for the implementation of the home exercise program. The patient’s adherence was assessed 10 days over the rehabilitation program, and after 1 month of the self-management program. The results. During the 10-day rehabilitation program the group established a high level of adherence in 42,7% of cases, mild level in 46,3% and low level in 11,0% of cases. After 1 month, at the followup visit, a high level of adherence was observed in 25,7%, a mild level in 31,7% and a low level in 28,0% of cases. To be noted that 14,6% of participants abandoned the self-management program. The factors that determine the level of compliance to the self-management program were: the effectiveness of the intervention, the individual perception of the disease and clinical manifestations, and the ability to integrate the routine of physical exercises into the daily program. Conclusion. The compliance with a self-management exercise program was lower than a rehabilitation program in a specialized clinic. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the factors that determine the compliance in order to increase the empowerment of patients and to improve osteoarthritis outcomes.