This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Laufer, Y Articles by Nahir, A M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Laufer, Y Articles by Nahir, A M Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Effect of pulsed short-wave diathermy on pain and function of subjects with osteoarthritis of the knee: a placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial

Physical Therapy Department, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel

R Zilberman

R Porat

Physical Therapy Outpatient Department, The Lin Clinic of Clalit Health Services, Haifa, Israel

A M Nahir

Rheumatology Department, Rambam Medical Centre, Haifa, Israel

Objective: To examine the effects of pulsed short-wave diathermy (PSWD), delivered at an intensity sufficient to induce a thermal sensation and at an athermal intensity, in comparison with a placebo short-wave diathermy treatment, on reported pain, stiffness and functional ability and on mobility performance of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Design: A placebo-controlled double-blind trial with sequential allocation of patients to different treatment groups.

Setting: Outpatient physiotherapy department.

Subjects: One hundred and three consecutive patients, mean age 73.7 (9 = 6.6) years with osteoarthritis of one or both knees for at least three months.

Interventions: All participants received three 20-min-long treatments per week for three weeks. One group received PSWD with mean power of 18 W (thermal effect), one group received PSWD with mean power of 1.8 W (athermal effect), and one group received sham short-wave diathermy treatment. Patients were assessed before the initial treatment, immediately following the last treatment, and at a three-month follow-up.

Main measures: Outcome measures included the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index, which assessed reported pain, stiffness, and functional ability, and four measures of mobility performance: Timed Get Up and Go test (TGUG), stair-climbing, stairdescending and a 3-min walk.

Results: A difference across time was observed for the pain and stiffness categories of the WOMAC Osteoarthritis Index (p < 0.033 and p < 0.008, respectively), with no differences between groups. No other significant differences across time or between groups were observed in any of the other measures.

Conclusion: The findings do not demonstrate pulsed short-wave diathermy, as it is utilized in clinical settings, to be effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.

Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 19, No. 3, 255-263 (2005)
DOI: 10.1191/0269215505cr864oa


CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?