Osteearthritis
Conditions
Keywords
osteoarthritis, Radiofrequency Therapy, Pain, Physical Functional Performance
Brief summary
This study aimed to investigate the effects of Tecar therapy on pain, physical function, and physical capacity in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis.
Detailed description
Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative, inflammatory, and chronic joint disease with an increasing incidence and prevalence worldwide. By causing pain, disability, and deterioration in quality of life, it constitutes a significant public health problem globally. Furthermore, the health, social, and economic burdens associated with chronic knee osteoarthritis are expected to increase in the future. For these reasons, and due to the rising incidence of the disease, clinicians are increasingly focusing on novel treatment strategies. Currently, both surgical and non-surgical treatment modalities are used in the management of chronic knee osteoarthritis. The cornerstone of treatment consists of patient education, exercise, and weight control. Subsequent steps include pharmacological treatments, intra-articular injections, and physical therapy modalities. These modalities include transcutaneous electrical stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound, thermal modalities, laser therapy, extracorporeal shock wave therapy, electromagnetic field therapy, and capacitive and resistive electric transfer (Tecar therapy). Tecar therapy is an endogenous diathermy modality that operates in the long-wave range using radiofrequency energy of approximately 0.5 MHz to heat the treated tissues. It consists of two electrodes-capacitive and resistive-with a long-wave current generator and multi-frequency sequential emission systems that deliver energy to tissues in two different modes. In the capacitive mode, an insulated electrode with a metal plate is generally used. The electrical charges generated by the radiofrequency generator accumulate near the insulated electrode, which acts as a dielectric surface. This method is used for the treatment of superficial tissues adjacent to the insulated electrode. In the resistive mode, two metal electrodes distribute electrical charges that tend to accumulate near bone, tendon, and connective tissue. Tecar therapy has been shown to have positive effects on pain and quality of life in many patients with degenerative and inflammatory orthopedic conditions. Among diathermy modalities, Tecar therapy is considered one of the most appropriate and safe methods, as-unlike ultrasound-it has no limitation in terms of treatment area and does not cause excessive heat accumulation between the skin and the electrode . To the best of our knowledge, there are very few studies investigating the use of Tecar therapy in chronic knee osteoarthritis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Tecar therapy on pain, physical function, and physical capacity in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis.
Interventions
OTHERTecar Therapy
Tecar Therapy and conventional physical therapy
OTHERShamTecar Therapy
ShamTecar Therapy and conventional physical therapy
OTHERconventional physical therapy
conventional physical therapy
Sponsors
Kirsehir Ahi Evran Universitesi
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Patients with Kellgren-Lawrence stage 2 or 3 knee osteoarthritis * Patients with bilateral knee pain for at least 6 weeks * Male and female patients aged 40-75 * Patients who accept and sign the informed consent form
Exclusion criteria
* Those who have received physical therapy for knee pain in the last 6 months * Those who have received intraarticular injection treatments such as hyaluronic acid, PRP, or steroids for knee pain in the last 6 months * Those who have undergone knee surgery for any reason * Those with inflammatory arthritis * Those with existing neurological, cognitive, or psychiatric disorders * Those with pacemakers * Those with a history of malignancy * Those with local vascular or sensory impairment * Those with local or systemic infections * Those with open wounds on the skin * Pregnant or breastfeeding
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Analog Scale | baseline, 3th week, 12th week | VAS is a pain rating scale with numbers 0 and 10. Here 0 means 'no pain' and 10 means 'unbearable pain'. The participant will rate the pain according to the scale. Patients' night, rest and activity pain will be evaluated separately. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| WOMAC | baseline, 3th week, 12th week | WOMAC consists of three main subgroups: pain, stiffness, and difficulty performing daily activities. It is a questionnaire with a total of 24 questions. Each question has five alternative answers: none, mild, moderate, severe, and very severe. Scoring is given as follows: pain (maximum 20), stiffness (8), and difficulty performing daily activities (68). High scores indicate worsening symptoms, significant limitations, and insufficient overall health. The Turkish version of the scale was developed by Tüzün et al. in 2005. |
| The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) | baseline, 3th week, 12th week | The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) will be used to assess physical capacity. Patients will be asked to walk at their preferred pace for 6 minutes in a 30-meter corridor marked at 3-meter intervals. Rest periods or adjustments to walking speed will be allowed if necessary. The maximum distance covered in 6 minutes along the 30-meter corridor will be measured. |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Contacts
CONTACTNazife K Kapan Tunçer, Asst. Prof.
Outcome results
None listed