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Efficacy of microcurrent therapy for treatment of acute knee pain: A randomized double-blinded controlled clinical
Daryl Lawson1, Kevin H Lee2, Hyun Bin Kang2
1Department of Physical Therapy, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA.
Objective:
We would like to determine whether electrotherapy, specifically microcurrent therapy, increases function and decreases pain in people who have acute knee pain.
Design:
Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Setting:
University laboratory and patient home.
Subjects:
A total of 52 subjects (35 females and 17 males) with acute knee pain.
Intervention:
Treatment group (n = 26) wore the active microcurrent therapy device at home for 3 hours per day for 4 weeks and the control group (n = 26) wore the placebo for 3 hours per day for 4 weeks.
Main Measures:
Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Short Form 12 (SF-12) health scale were used to measure the pain level and the functionality of the participants. Secondary assessments included musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging (MSK US) and Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS).
Results:
A total of 52 subjects completed the study; 26 in the treatment group and 26 in the control group. Microcurrent therapy significantly reduced pain over 4 weeks. Especially week three was significant (P < 0.01) after adjusting for the family-wise error rate. The analysis on SF-12 revealed those with microcurrent therapy showed an increasing trend in the improvement of physical function score until week three.
Conclusion:
An active microcurrent therapy device decreased knee pain and increased function. Microcurrent therapy may be an alternative or used with a pharmacological approach for people with acute knee pain.
