Regresar

Analgesic knee orthosis applying transcutaneous nerve electrical stimulation operated by bluetooth system in knee osteoarthritis

Abstract:

Knee osteoarthritis is the first condition worldwide affecting health status, functionality and independence of the elderly as a result of cartilage destruction, changes in the subchondral bone and osteophytes formation. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of transcutaneous nerve electrical stimulation in decreasing pain in knee osteoarthritis by applying the current through 4 electrodes. The authors designed an orthosis, knee brace like with only 2 electrodes, one covering the lateral side of the knee and one for the medial side. Ac-tivation and dosage programming of the brace was done by a mobile app connected through Bluetooth. Participants received the interven- tion once in each knee. Immediate effects in re-ducing pain in the elderly were measured before and after treatment using Visual Analogue Pain Scale version Wong Baker, showing a statistical difference of 0.011 (p=0.05) demonstrating the immediate effectiveness of the equipment. Re-searchers recommend further research to prove long term effectiveness of the device, clinical use and customer satisfaction.