Article

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of therapeutic ultrasound with sham or no
intervention on pain, physical function and safety outcomes in patients with knee
osteoarthritis. DATA SOURCES: This systematic review was searched on CENTRAL,
EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Open Gray on 4
September 2015. Trials included randomized controlled trials that compared
therapeutic ultrasound with a sham or no intervention in patients with
osteoarthritis of the knee. REVIEW METHODS: Eligible trials and extracted data
were identified by two independent investigators. Standardized mean differences
(SMDs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for pain and physical
function outcomes. Heterogeneity was assessed by the I2 test and inverse-variance
random-effects analysis was applied to all trials. RESULTS: Ten randomized
controlled trials (645 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Therapeutic
ultrasound showed a positive effect on pain (SMD = -0.93, 95%, CI = -1.22 to
-0.64, p < 0.01, p for heterogeneity = 0.12, I2 = 42%). For physical function,
therapeutic ultrasound was advantageous for reducingWestern Ontario and McMaster
Universities physical function score (SMD = -0.37, 95% CI = -0.73 to -0.01, p =
0.04, p for heterogeneity = 0.94, I2 = 0%). In terms of safety, no occurrence of
adverse events caused by therapeutic ultrasound was reported in any trial.
CONCLUSION: The authors suggested that therapeutic ultrasound is beneficial for
reducing knee pain and improving physical functions in patients with knee
osteoarthritis and could be a safe treatment.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2015.

Langue : ANGLAIS