Evidence Supports the Use of Therapeutic Ultrasound for Joint Osteoarthritis

A Cochrane systematic review (January 2010) and another recent clinical trial (May 2010) both provided support for therapeutic ultrasound (US) in the management of patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

The objective of the Cochrane systematic review was to compare therapeutic US with sham or no specific intervention in terms of effects on pain and function safety outcomes in patients with knee or hip OA. The authors concluded that, "In contrast to the previous version of this review, our results suggest that therapeutic ultrasound may be beneficial for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee."

The clinical study examined the short- and long-term efficacy in patients with primary hip OA with regard to pain, functional status, and quality of life (QoL). Forty-five patients with primary hip OA were enrolled into the study. The authors concluded that, "addition of therapeutic ultrasound to the traditional physical therapy showed a longitudinal positive effect on pain, functional status, and physical QoL in patients with hip osteoarthritis. The use of therapeutic ultrasound in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis should be encouraged."

References: Köybaþi M, Borman P, Kocaoðlu S, Ceceli E. The effect of additional therapeutic ultrasound in patients with primary hip osteoarthritis: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Clin Rheumatol. 2010 May 26.

Rutjes AW, Nüesch E, Sterchi R, Jüni P. Therapeutic ultrasound for osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010 Jan 20;(1):CD003132.

Dr. David P. Chen
Chiropractor in Laurel, Maryland
Laurel Regional Chiropractic
www.laurelregionalchiropractic.com