Diathermy Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis

In this medical detective services, Premier Therapy Solutions will cover the direct effect of short wave diathermy therapy and exercise with quadriceps bench against knee osteoarthritis patients with functional capabilities from a study by Nugraha DA, Haryadi RD, Cahyono S which was featured in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series from a Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2021

(OA) osteoarthritis in the knee is a chronic often painful condition that people regularly get as they age.  OA can cause the cartilage in the knee to break down or degenerate. The cartilage is a slippery material that is flexible and helps to protect against joint friction and bone on bone impact. Degeneration of this cartilage can cause severe pain, muscle weakness, and joint stiffness which causes limitation in movement and joint deformities. Extensive medical studies have shown a correlation between knee osteoarthritis and a decrease in quadricep strength. The quadriceps muscle along with the gluteus maximus is the main stabilizer of the knee joint, and when there is weakness, it will cause a decrease in functional ability and knee joint instability. 

Studies by Nugraha et al. investigated the use of SWD (short wave diathermy) and a QB (quadriceps bench) exercise therapy to see its effects on the functional ability of patients with knee osteoarthritis. This study utilized observational research using a controlled cross-sectional design study. The study involved thirty patients aged between forty and seventy years old that have been diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. Ninety-three percent of the participants were female and had a median age of fifty-nine which is consistent with the epidemiology of knee osteoarthritis being most common in women over the age of fifty-five. Each participant received both quadriceps bench exercise therapy and short wave diathermy therapy and used the Jette scale as the outcome measure. The Jette scale is a functional status scale that can be utilized to assess functional status. Once the study and treatments were completed, the results showed a decrease in the Jette scale from 18.6 to 14.6 which essentially means that there is an increase in the participant’s functional ability. The SWD (short wave diathermy) and the QB (quadriceps bench) showed an increased functional ability along with a decrease in knee pain and supported the author’s hypothesis that there is a proven positive effect immediately after therapy. Short wave diathermy is an excellent modality that can remove metabolic waste increase blood flow in the tissues and reduce muscle spasms. All of this can decrease knee pain which will allow for an increase in the functional movements of the knee. When you mix this mechanism with an isotonic exercise to increase the strength of the quadriceps muscle, an increase in the frequency of the impulse transmitter to the muscle spindle along the fibers also increases the frequency of motor nerve impulse. This will activate the golgi tendon organ in the muscle and can block the pain impulse towards the muscle causing the muscles to relax and decrease the pain. 

Here at Premier Therapy Solutions, Dr. Corsa is always reading the medical literature and applying these principles to her clinical practice. PTS has purchased a brand new Shortwave Diathermy and uses this on her patients with amazing results. Dr. Corsa believes in investing in her practice by purchasing the latest equipment that shows efficacious data. At PTS we will never stop learning and continually strive to improve the pain and function of all her patients!