Prospective Case Series of NMES for Quadriceps Weakness and Decrease Function in Patients with Osteoarthritis of the...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disability.
• Quadriceps muscle weakness is common in knee OA, impacting function.
• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a potential therapeutic modality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of NMES for quadriceps muscle weakness in knee OA.
• To assess improvements in muscle strength, function, and pain.
• To compare outcomes with a matched control cohort.

Main Methods:

• A case series utilizing NMES for knee OA patients with quadriceps weakness.
• Evaluation of isokinetic quadriceps and hamstring strength.
• Assessment of objective and subjective functional metrics, quality of life, and pain using standardized scales (KSS, SF-36, LEFS, VAS).
• Comparison with a previously studied control cohort.

Main Results:

• NMES treatment led to significant improvements in isokinetic quadriceps and hamstring muscle strength.
• Some functional and patient-reported metrics showed improvement.
• However, decreases were noted in KSS, SF-36, LEFS, and VAS pain scores, with no change in VAS pain or SF-36 physical component.
• Control cohort analysis revealed improvements in functional KSS, SF-36 physical component, and LEFS, but not VAS pain or objective KSS.

Conclusions:

• NMES effectively improves quadriceps muscle strength in knee OA patients.
• NMES may offer potential functional benefits.
• Minimal impact was observed on quality of life and patient-reported outcomes.
• Larger, prospective, randomized studies are required to confirm these findings.