Efficacy Study of Shortwave Diathermy for the Treatment of Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to determine whether shortwave diathermy is effective in reducing knee pain and increasing function of the patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Detailed Description
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Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative joint disease, resulting in significant morbidity and health care expense. It affects more than 60% of Western World adults over the age of 65 years. It causes pain and dysfunction in 20% of elderly persons. It can affect any joint containing hyaline cartilage; knee is the most commonly affected joint. There are many strategies for the treatment of knee OA but a curative method has not been found. Treatment is therefore aimed to relief symptoms and to prevent further functional deterioration. It is unclear whether any of the treatment modalities is efficacious. Shortwave diathermy (SWD) is one of deep heat widely applied to alleviate the symptoms associated with OA. The efficacy of SWD for the treatment of OA knee is still inconclusive. The outcome of treatment in previous reports varies from null to positive effect. This discrepancy is largely due to the different research methodology, the inadequate sample size, the methods used in outcome assessment, and the treatment protocols. Comparison(s): Peri- or postmenopausal women with OA knee are randomized into two groups, receiving a course of either therapeutic SWD or sham SWD. The main outcome measured is the change in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) Index.

Official Title
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The Effectiveness of Shortwave Diathermy in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Osteoarthritis, Knee, Menopause

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Shortwave diathermy


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: peri- or postmenopausal women aged >50 years primary knee osteoarthritis Exclusion Criteria: inability to walk severe joint instability history of previous shortwave diathermy intra-articular injection within 3 months metallic implant around knee joint suspicious of malignancy around knee joint significant cardiovascular disease inability to understand how to score the symptoms

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 50 Years
Maximum Age: 80 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: The treatment group received short-wave diathermy (SWD) plus exercise whereas the control group received exercise alone.
Masking: Quadruple


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Shortwave diathermy<br>continuous shortwave diathermy, 20 min/session, 3 sessions/week for 3 weeks | Device: Shortwave diathermy<br>* continuous shortwave diathermy, 20 min/session, 3 sessions/week for 3 weeks<br>|
| Sham Comparator: control<br>continuous sham shortwave diathermy, 20 min/session, 3 sessions/week for 3 weeks | Device: Shortwave diathermy<br>* continuous shortwave diathermy, 20 min/session, 3 sessions/week for 3 weeks<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Change in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) Index | The WOMAC index is a multidimensional, self-administered health status evaluation instrument for patients with OA of the hip and knee. It is composed of 24 items that are grouped into three dimensions, including pain (5 items), stiffness (2 items), and function (17 items). The response can be in a form of visual analog or five-point Likert scale [11, 23]. In this study, the response is on a 10-cm horizontal line with numeric description from 0 to 10. The score of each dimension is an average of the component item scores. The WOMAC total score is determined by averaging the scores of all dimensions. The total score ranges from 0 (best outcome possible) to 10 (worst outcome possible). | 3 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gait Speed (Calculated From the Time Spending for 100-meter Walk) |  | 3 weeks | 
| Global Improvement |  | 3 weeks | 
| Patient's Satisfaction to the Treatment |  | 3 weeks | 
| Adverse Events |  | 3 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Osteoarthritis, Diathermy, Short-wave therapy, Knee