Clinical rheumatology
-
Clinical rheumatology · Aug 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialAdditional effect of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy on knee osteoarthritis treatment: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.
The aim of this study was to evaluate if pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF) has additional effect on the classical physical treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) composed of hot pack, therapeutic ultrasound, and terminal isometric exercises. Forty patients (29 women and 11 men), ages 44 to 78 (mean age was 61.3 +/- 7.8 years) were included in our study. Patients with knee osteoarthritis [Kellgren-Lawrence criteria grade 2 and above and an average pain intensity of 40 or more on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS)] recruited from outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic were randomly assigned to receive PEMF or sham PEMF treatment in addition to their physical therapy. ⋯ There were no statistically significant differences between groups in WOMAC pain, stiffness, and physical function scores after treatment (p = 0.906, p = 0.855, p = 0.809, respectively). There was neither difference in concomitant used acetaminophen dose in both groups (p = 0.289). The results of this study show that PEMF does not have additional effect on the classical physical treatment in reducing symptoms of knee OA.
-
Clinical rheumatology · Jul 2010
Validity, reliability, and comparison of the WOMAC osteoarthritis index and Lequesne algofunctional index in Turkish patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis.
To assess validity and reliability of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis (OA) index and Lequesne algofunctional index in Turkish patients with hip or knee OA and to compare the results of the instruments for these two particular sites of involvement. Two disease-specific instruments: WOMAC LK 3.1 and Lequesne indices were administered to 117 outpatients with OA (44 hip and 73 knee) living in Turkey. These indices were administered twice 7-10 days apart to ensure the test-retest reliability. ⋯ WOMAC and Lequesne showed moderate-good correlations between comparable subscales of SF-36 (physical functioning and bodily pain) and weak-moderate correlations between VAS. All subscales and total WOMAC had better internal consistency and more satisfactory concurrent validity compared with Lequesne. Our results indicated that WOMAC is a more reliable index for use in Turkish patients with hip or knee OA than Lequesne.
-
Clinical rheumatology · May 2010
Reliability and validity of the foot and ankle outcome score: a validation study from Iran.
The aims of this study were to culturally adapt and validate the Persian version of Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and present data on its psychometric properties for patients with different foot and ankle problems. The Persian version of FAOS was developed after a standard forward-backward translation and cultural adaptation process. The sample included 93 patients with foot and ankle disorders who were asked to complete two questionnaires: FAOS and Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). ⋯ For dimensionality, the minimum Spearman's correlation coefficient of 0.40 was exceeded by most items. In conclusion, the results of our study show that the Persian version of FAOS seems to be suitable for Iranian patients with various foot and ankle problems especially lateral ankle sprain. Future studies are needed to establish stronger psychometric properties for patients with different foot and ankle problems.
-
Intra-articular corticosteroid injection (IACI) is a very popular procedure. In this review, we wanted to review all that had been published about local effects of IACIs. English literature search was made through PubMed using the terms intra-articular and local effect. ⋯ IACI is associated with a wide range of local effects. Subjective and functional favorable response is prominent mainly in juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients. Adverse effects are either rare or insignificant.