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ABSTRACT
Introduction: Pulsed electromagnetic energy (PEME) & Interferential Therapy (IFT) are very common non-pharmacologic interventions used to control pain in knee osteoarthritis.
Aims & Objectives: The purpose of the study was an effort to find out the efficacy of Pulsed electromagnetic Energy & Interferential Therapy to control the pain in osteoarthritis of knee.
Study design & Methodology: The study was experimental, pre & post design. Ninety osteoarthritis patients who were suffering with 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 (PEME & IFT) were administered for Group A (PEME) and Group B (IFT), Group C was treated with Exercises only. PEME & IFT was applied three times weekly for 8 weeks. The exercises & hot water fomentation were carried out daily by 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. SPSS-Version20 was used for statistical analysis.
Results: The Intra group analysis show significant p-values (p<0.05) for all parameters for all groups. The intergroup comparison outcome shows a non significant result (p> 0.05).
Conclusion: It is concluded that all the electrotherapies administered (Pulsed electromagnetic energy, IFT) help to reduce pain in knee osteoarthritis but none of the modality proved more effective than others.
Keywords: Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis, Pulsed Electromagnetic Energy, Interferential Therapy, Exercise
INTRODUCTION
Osteoarthritis of knee (OAK) is the most common type of osteoarthritis (OA). Pain is the most common & severe symptom in OAK. Physiotherapy is one of the treatment systems that provides effective non-pharmacological interventions to treat pain for people with OA of the knee joint. Interferential Therapy (IFT), Pulsed Electromagnetic Energy (PEME) & Exercises are used widely to control both acute and chronic pain arising from several conditions.1,2'3'4
Pulsed Electromagnetic Energy (PEME) consists of bursts of the same alternating high frequency current, interspersed with a cut off phase, during which heat can be dissipated in the tissues. PEME uses electromagnetic fields with an on-off effect...