Degenerative Disease, Knee Pain Swelling, Meniscus Tear
Conditions
Brief summary
This randomized-controlled trial aims to investigate the effect of NMES as an add-on to an exercise program in patients with degenerative meniscus tears.
Detailed description
To investigate the efficacy of NMES as an add-on to an exercise program, voluntary patients with degenerative meniscus tears, aged between 40 and 65 years, will be randomly divided into two groups: Group 1 (NMES with Exercise) and Group 2 (Exercise). Interventions will be applied for 16 sessions (twice a week for 8 weeks). The patients will be assessed at baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention. The pain during activity, at rest, and at night will be assessed with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Active range of motion will be assessed with a digital goniometer. Isometric muscle strength will be measured with a handheld dynamometer. The functional status and symptoms will be evaluated by the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale. Health-related quality of life will be assessed with the Short Form-12 (SF-12).
Interventions
OTHERExercise
An 8-week exercise program used in conservative treatment of degenerative meniscus tears will be performed. The patients will do exercises under the control of the physiotherapist in the clinic. The patient will perform the exercises with the verbal and visual commands of the physiotherapist.
OTHERNeuromuscular electrical stimulation
The Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) will be applied for 20 minutes. The patient will be seated with hips and knees flexed at 90°. Electrodes will be placed on the proximal and distal ends of the vastus medialis obliquus and vastus lateralis muscles. The intensity will be increased as much as the patient can tolerate, and the patient will be asked to relax and not make voluntary muscle contractions.
Sponsors
Istanbul University - Cerrahpasa
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Being aged between 40 and 65 years * Having the degenerative meniscus tear in at least one knee * Having body mass index in the range of 18-30 kg/m2 * Feeling the pain that lasts for at least 2 months * Having grade 1 or grade 2 degenerative meniscal tear diagnosed by an orthopedic specialist according to the MRI results * Having the ability to read and write Turkish
Exclusion criteria
* Having undergone arthroscopic partial meniscectomy surgery due to degenerative meniscal tear * Participating in a physiotherapy program for degenerative meniscal tear in the last 12 weeks * Have received steroid injections in the last 6 months * Accompanying conditions such as injury to the surrounding ligaments, congenital anomaly in the affected knee, coxarthrosis and spinal stenosis * Presence of any systemic disorder that may affect assessment parameters * Failure to cooperate with assessments
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) | Baseline | Short-term and long-term symptoms and function will be assessed with the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) that is developed as an extension of the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index. The score is a percentage score from 0 to 100, 0 representing extreme problems and 100 representing no problems. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) | Baseline | Pain intensity will be measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS). The participants will be asked to indicate their perceived pain at rest, during activity and at night on the 10 cm line between no pain and terrible pain. The score will be determined by measuring the distance on 10 cm line using a ruler. The higher scores indicate an higher level of pain. |
| Active Range of Motion | Baseline | Active knee range of motion including flexion and extension will be measured described by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) using a digital goniometer. |
| Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) | At the end of 8-week intervention | Short-term and long-term symptoms and function will be assessed with the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) that is developed as an extension of the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index. The score is a percentage score from 0 to 100, 0 representing extreme problems and 100 representing no problems. |
| Lysholm Score | Baseline | Functional limitations related to degenerative meniscal tear will be used with the Lysholm Score that is one of the most frequently used functional questionnaires. The total score is the sum of each response to the eight questions, and may range from 0-100. Higher scores indicate a better outcome with fewer symptoms or disability. |
| Short Form-12 (SF-12) | Baseline | Short Form-12 (SF-12), which is developed based on Short Form-36, consists of 12 items: 7 items dealing with the physical components scores (PCS-12) and 5 items related to the mental components scores (MCS-12) of SF-12. Range of both scores is 0 to 100, where the higher scores indicate better health related quality of life. |
| Muscle Strength | Baseline | Isometric muscle strength will be measured with a handheld dynamometer for knee flexors and extensors. The process will be repeated three times in each direction, with the average value recorded. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Outcome results
None listed