Effects of Various Types of Ultrasound Therapy in Hip Osteoarthritis

Effects of Various Types of Ultrasound Therapy in Hip Osteoarthritis - a Double-blinded, Placebo-controlled, Follow-up Study

This study evaluates the effects of various types of ultrasound therapy: continuous, pulsed, sham ultrasound and ultrasound combined with electrotherapy in patients with hip osteoarthritis. Beside ultrasound therapy, patients received usual physiotherapy (balneotherapy, exercise and massage) either.

During ultrasound therapy electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy and heat. It has physical, chemical and biologic effects, like thermal effect, micro-massage, increased tissue metabolism, capillary permeability and tissue healing. Continuous or pulsed forms can be applied.

As pulsed ultrasound therapy has no thermal effect, greater intensity can be used. It can alleviate acute pain and inflammation. Continuous ultrasound is usually used in chronic musculoskeletal diseases, in case of limitation of joint motion because its thermal effect.

Ultrasound can be combined with electrotherapy, when the effects of the two modalities are summed up.

Inclusion Criteria:

• patients over 18 years of age with moderate hip osteoarthritis (radiologically Kellgren- Laurence II-III. stage)
• chronic hip pain (for at least 8 weeks)
• pain intensity is ≥ 50mm on a Visual Analogue Scale
• no physiotherapy or local injection (steroid, hialuronic acid) within 3 months before starting the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• acute hip pain (duration is less than 8 weeks)
• steroid, hialuronic acid injection into the hip joint within 3 months
• physiotherapy of the hip within 3 months
• inflammatory hip osteoarthritis
• infection
• fever
• tumour
• epilepsy
• pregnancy
• untreated hypertension
• heart failure (NYHA II-IV. stage)
• inflammatory rheumatic diseases
• hip arthroplasty
• pacemaker or intracardiac device
• severe osteoporosis
• osteomyelitis