RADIOFREQUENCY THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS AWAITING KNEE ARTHROPLASTY

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Pain Management
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of knee pain and disability.
• Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common treatment for advanced osteoarthritis.
• Palliative treatments are sought for patients awaiting TKA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the palliative efficacy of conventional radiofrequency (RF) compared to intra-articular corticosteroids in patients indicated for TKA.
• To assess pain and functional outcomes at six months post-procedure.

Main Methods:

• A comparative prospective study involving 71 knees indicated for TKA.
• Group 1 (51 knees) received RF treatment; Group 2 (20 knees) received corticosteroid injections.
• Pain assessed via Visual Analog Scale (VAS); function via WOMAC and KSS scales.

Main Results:

• The RF group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in VAS pain scores compared to the control group (p=0.0124).
• Superior functional outcomes were observed in the RF group using WOMAC (p=0.044) and KSS (p=0.02, p=0.048) scales.
• Osteoarthritis severity and knee angulation correlated with procedural outcomes (p=0.028, p=0.019).

Conclusions:

• Conventional RF provides superior palliative pain relief and functional improvement over corticosteroids for patients awaiting TKA.
• Osteoarthritis severity and knee alignment are significant factors influencing treatment outcomes.