Biophysical Approach to Knee Osteoarthritis Pain and Disability

Alberto Foletti, Paolo Baron

Knee osteoarthritis is a common disease leading to pain and disability in an increasing number of people. Since osteoarthritis is a progressive and degenerative skeletal disease, any therapy aimed to deal with it has to face from one side with the management of pain and recovery from disability; and from the other side with the slowing of osteoarthritis progression itself. Biophysical therapies have been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of pain in comparison to a common non-steroidal anti inflammation drug as ibuprofen, and to placebo. Moreover, biophysical therapy showed its effectiveness in the management of low back pain and disability, even at different degrees of intensity. Biophysical therapies exert, very likely, their effects though a resonance phenomenon. The aim of this study was to assess the possible efficacy of a biophysical protocol for knee osteoarthritis. Fifty consecutive patients (age 52.7±13.8), with different levels of pain and disability participate into this study employing an electro medical device (Med Select) to perform the electromagnetic information transfer through aqueous system (Nomabit Base) protocol according to previous reports. Assessment was done at baseline, and after 3 months, by the Oxford knee pain and disability questionnaire. Patients were classified as having a severe (score 0-19), moderate (score 20-29), mild (score 30-39), or satisfactory (score 40-48) knee condition. A global reduction in the knee pain and disability score was observed after 3 months of a single biophysical intervention, in fact mean start level was 2.1±0.71, while mean end level was 0.24±0.52 (p<0.0001). We hope that biophysical treatments are considered for larger and longer trials in order to meet the requirements to be widespread as a possible integrative support to the number of people with knee osteoarthritis in order to both manage pain and disability, as well as slowing the gonarthrotic progression.

https://doi.org/10.31871/WJRR.5.6.12