Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has demonstrated its efficacy in alleviating pain among individuals with musculoskeletal disorders. This review focuses on the application of tDCS as a therapeutic intervention for managing knee osteoarthritis (OA), a prevalent musculoskeletal condition. The primary objective is to assess the effectiveness of tDCS(add-on tDCS and /or stand-alone tDCS), whether as an add-on to existing treatments or as a standalone therapy, in reducing pain and enhancing functional capacity in patients with knee OA.

A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Science Direct, OVID, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, ProQuest, and Google Scholar, and Web of Science. The search terms employed were "Transcranial direct current stimulation" or "tDCS" in combination with "Osteoarthritis" or "OA" and "knee." After eliminating duplicates and studies that did not meet the inclusion criteria, a total of 14 relevant articles were identified for review.

Among the included studies, twelve reported statistically significant improvements in pain levels when comparing the active tDCS group to the sham tDCS group. Only two studies reported no significant difference in pain intensity between the active tDCS and sham tDCS groups. Findings regarding functional abilities were diverse, with some studies demonstrating a significant enhancement in functional outcomes in the active tDCS group, while others observed no statistically significant differences.

The results of this review suggest that tDCS holds promise as a pain management intervention for individuals with knee OA. Notably, anodal tDCS applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) appears to be particularly effective in alleviating pain in patients with knee OA. However, the impact of tDCS on functional performance appears to be limited.