Effect of Different Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Modalities on Clinical and Functional Outcomes in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

De Almeida CC, Azevedo KP, De Souza Júnior JR, Moreira LA, Garcia PA, Almeida IS, Dantas LO, Marqueti RC, DeSantana JM, Durigan JLQ · Clinical Interventions in Aging

None of the three waveforms beat placebo on pain intensity, disability, pressure pain threshold or any functional outcome. The one significant group-by-time interaction was on the WOMAC (P = 0.022, eta-squared 0.10), where the interferential, Aussie and placebo groups all improved. Most measures improved over the four weeks in every group, placebo included; knee surface temperature, stability and fall risk did not move.

Population

One hundred people with knee osteoarthritis, 25 to each of four groups

Intervention

Three electrical stimulation waveforms over four weeks: TENS, interferential current, and Aussie current

Comparator

Placebo stimulation

Limitations

Twenty-five per arm and four weeks, which the authors say leaves them unable to identify the subgroups that might respond. The improvement seen in every arm including placebo is what makes uncontrolled before-and-after gains in this literature hard to read. Funded by CAPES (Finance Code 001), FAPDF and CNPq, Brazil; the authors declare no commercial or financial relationships.