A Study on efficacy of different Therapeutic Modalities to Alleviate Pain due to Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Introduction: Physiotherapy is one of the recommended non pharmacological management options in patients with osteoarthritis.Ultrasound & Pulsed electromagnetic energy(PEME) & Exercises are widely used in to treat pain due to osteoarthritis. Aims& Objectives: The purpose of the study was an effort to find out the role of different modalities (Therapeutic ultrasound, PEME , Exercises) to control the pain in osteoarthritis of knee. Study design & Methodology: The study was experimental, pre & post design. 60 female osteoarthritis patients including those suffering from bilateral osteoarthritis between age group 40- 65 years from the Department of Physiotherapy and Department of Orthopedics, PGIMER, Chandigarh were chosen for the study & randomly distributed in 3 groups. Electrotherapy modalities were administered for Group A (PEME) and Group B (Ultrasound) three times weekly for 6 weeks. The exercises & hot water fomentation were carried daily for all the three groups (Group A, Group B & Group C). The severity of knee pain was evaluated by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) in a weight bearing position (walking or standing) in parallel bars. Western Ontario McMaster universities (WOMAC) index of osteoarthritis was used to assess pain, stiffness, and physical function. SPSSVersion17 was used for statistical analysis. Conclusion: It is concluded that all the therapies administered (pulsed electromagnetic energy, therapeutic ultrasound, exercises) help to reduce pain in knee osteoarthritis but none of the modality proved more effective than others.