Comparison of the effectiveness of medicinal leech and TENS therapy in the treatment of primary osteoarthritis of the knee : A randomized controlled trial
| Autor: | M. Ugur, T. Sari, Memet Isik, R. S. Yakisan, N. Yilmaz |
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| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male medicine.medical_specialty WOMAC Visual Analog Scale Visual analogue scale Leech Osteoarthritis Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation law.invention 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Rheumatology law Internal medicine Leech Therapy Medicine Humans Single-Blind Method 030212 general & internal medicine Prospective Studies Prospective cohort study Aged business.industry Leeching Middle Aged Osteoarthritis Knee medicine.disease Treatment Outcome Physical therapy Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation Female business 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie. 76(9) |
| ISSN: | 1435-1250 |
| Popis: | The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of leech therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in terms of duration of effectiveness and symptom relief and to compare these results with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy. This study was designed as a prospective, single center, randomized, single-blind and parallel group study. A total of 90 patients were included in the study, 46 in the leech group and 44 in the TENS group. Primary outcome measures were changes of the pain scores in visual analogue scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) on the measurements day 0, 21 and 180. Secondary outcome measures were the changes in the sub-groups of the WOMAC scores. Five leeches were applied to the affected knee, once every week for 3 weeks. The VAS pain score showed a similar decrease in both groups in the evaluation on day 21 (p < 0.001). The course of the change of the VAS pain score in both groups was similar in the comparisons between groups. Long-term benefits of the TENS therapy group were slightly more than the leech therapy group. All the sub-scores of WOMAC in both therapy groups showed a similar decrease (p = 0.819). Throughout the study this decrease was statistically significant in both groups (p < 0.001). Leech therapy relieves symptoms in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and is as effective as TENS therapy in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee. This treatment has the potential of being an additional or alternative therapy for the non-surgical management of osteoarthritis of the knee. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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