The efficacy of shock wave therapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis and popliteal cyamella

Abstract

This randomized, controlled study was performed to compare the effects of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) and ultrasound on the rehabilitation of knee osteoarthritis with popliteal cyamella. One hundred and twenty patients with bilateral moderate knee osteoarthritis (Altman III) and popliteal cyamella were selected and randomly assigned to four groups (GI-GIV). Patients in Groups I-III received isokinetic muscular strengthening exercises three times weekly for 8 weeks. Group II received pulse ultrasound treatment for popliteal cyamella three times weekly for 8 weeks, Group III received weekly shock wave therapy for popliteal cyamella for the first 6 weeks, and Group IV acted as controls. The therapeutic effects were evaluated by changes in the arthritic knees range of motion (ROM), visual analogue scale, Lequesne's index, and muscle peak torques after treatment and at follow-up 6 months later. Each treated group exhibited increased muscle peak torques and significantly reduced pain and disability after treatment and at follow-ups. However, only patients in Groups II and III showed significant improvements in ROM after treatment, and only participants in Group III showed immediate improvement in ROM after each treatment. Patients in Group III also showed the greatest increase in muscular strength and the greatest decrease in disability after treatment and at the follow-ups. ESWT is better than pulse ultrasound in rehabilitation of patients with knee osteoarthritis and popliteal cyamella results in more functional improvements.

The effects of extracorporeal shock wave therapy on the pain and function of patients with degenerative knee arthritis

“…Wang et al13 ) reported extracorporeal shock waves were effective in preventing and treating knee arthritis in rats with knee arthritis. Chen et al14 ) conducted a comparative study in which ESWT and ultrasound therapy were applied to patients with knee arthritis for eight weeks, and they reported that the group in which ESWT was applied showed reduction in pain, Lequesne index scores and increasing in the range of motion. The present study also showed statistically significant declines in the VAS and K-WOMAC scores of the ESWTG.…”

Review of the application and efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in equine tendon and ligament injuries

“…; Chen et al . ,b). In patients with shoulder adhesive capsulitis, those treated with ESWT had improved range of motion and ability to perform daily activities faster than those patients treated with oral steroids (Chen et al .…”

Chondrocytes treated with different shock wave devices

“…Furthermore, SW improves joint function, reduces inflammatory cytokines which are responsible for osteoarthritic degeneration and enhances the recovery effects 13 . Recently, three clinical studies support the potential therapeutic utility of SW in the treatment of OA [21][22][23] .IL-10 inhibits the synthesis of different pro-inflammatory cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-3, TNF-α and GM-CSF) which are hyper-expressed in arthritic conditions. The overexpression of N-Cadherin and β-Catenin is associated with degeneration diseases 24 .…”