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EFFECT OF THE COMBINED UTILIZATION OF STATIC PROGRESSIVE STRETCHING AND PHONOPHORESIS WITH HYDROCORTISONE IN
V Akhalkatsi1, M Matiashvili1, L Maskhulia1
1Tbilisi State Medical University, 1Physical Medicine Department; 2Clinical Center of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Georgia.
Georgian Medical News
|April 13, 2022
Summary
Combining static progressive stretching with hydrocortisone phonophoresis significantly improves knee contracture rehabilitation in arthrofibrosis patients. This enhanced approach, particularly for type III cases, offers superior outcomes over standard exercises alone.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Arthrofibrosis, characterized by excessive fibrous tissue in joints, causes significant motion loss, pain, and functional limitations.
- Current treatments for arthrofibrosis include various therapies, with aggressive approaches like static progressive stretching being utilized.
- The etiopathogenesis of arthrofibrosis remains unclear, necessitating further research into effective therapeutic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of combined static progressive stretching and hydrocortisone phonophoresis against standard therapeutic exercise programs.
- To evaluate the superiority of the experimental treatment for knee contractures resulting from arthrofibrosis.
- To assess the impact of hydrocortisone phonophoresis as an adjunct to static progressive stretching in arthrofibrosis rehabilitation.
Main Methods:
- A prospective randomized controlled study involving 29 patients (18-60 years) with type III and IV knee contractures.
- Group I (experimental) received 10% hydrocortisone phonophoresis for 2 weeks prior to a standard rehabilitation program.
- Group II (control) underwent a rehabilitation course solely of static progressive stretching and a home exercise program.
Main Results:
- The combined therapy of static progressive stretching and hydrocortisone phonophoresis demonstrated a significantly improved effect on knee contracture rehabilitation.
- This improvement was particularly evident in patients with type III arthrofibrosis and knee flexion contractures.
- The experimental group showed enhanced outcomes compared to the control group receiving only standard exercises.
Conclusions:
- The combination of static progressive stretching with ultraphonophoresis (hydrocortisone phonophoresis) significantly enhances the rehabilitation of knee contractures in arthrofibrosis.
- Hydrocortisone phonophoresis, when used adjunctively with stretching and home exercises, offers superior benefits, especially for type III arthrofibrosis.
- This combined therapeutic strategy represents a more effective approach for managing knee arthrofibrosis contractures.
