Ultrasound conjugated with Laser Therapy in treatment of osteoarthritis: A case study

Abstract

Osteoarthritis of the hand is a chronic condition that involves hand joints, but receives less attention. Few studies have investigated the use of ultrasound therapy and laser therapy for the treatment of hand osteoarthritis. The objective was to evaluate the effect of the conjugated treatment of therapeutic ultrasound and laser therapy on the pain and joint function of a patient with hand osteoarthritis. The is case of a woman, 57 years old, with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis on hand for 3 years, presenting constant pain and worsening after manual activities. The pain and function were evaluated, respectively, by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Australian Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index questionnaire (AUSCAN). After 12 sessions using ultrasound and laser therapy application, there was an expressive improvement in the pain and functional indexes of the patient. The combined application of therapeutic ultrasound and laser therapy, through the unifi ed fi eld action of the therapies used, proved to be effi cient in reducing pain and improving the functionality.