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Published on: May 20, 2019
Effects of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound for Preventing Joint Stiffness in Immobilized Knee Model in Rats
Nobuyuki Itaya1, Yutake Yabe1, Yoshihiro Hagiwara1
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) in preventing joint stiffness. Unilateral knee joints were immobilized in two groups of rats (n = 6/period/group). Under general anesthesia, the immobilized knee joints were exposed to LIPUS for 20 min/d, 5 d/wk, using an existing LIPUS device (LIPUS group, 1.5-MHz frequency, 1.0-kHz repetition cycle, 200-µs burst width and 30-mW/cm2 power output) until endpoints (2, 4 or 6 wk). In the control group, general anesthesia alone was administered in the same manner as in the other group. The variables compared between the groups included joint angles; histologic, histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analyses; quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions; and tissue elasticity. LIPUS had a preventive effect on joint stiffness, resulting in decreased adhesion, fibrosis and inflammation and hypoxic response after joint immobilization.
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