High Intensity Laser Therapy (Classes IV) and Ibuprofen Gel Phonophoresis for Treating Knee Osteoarthritis

High Intensity Laser Therapy (Classes IV) and Ibuprofen Gel Phonophoresis for Treating Knee Osteoarthritis Among People Living in Hilly Terrain: A Randomized, Double Blind, Controlled Study

A total of 80 patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) aged between fourty five and seventy years will be recruited by simple random sampling to participate in two group, randomized, double blind, controlled study. Recruited patients will be randomly divided in to two groups high intensity-laser therapy (HILT) group and ibuprofen gel phonophoresis (IGP) group. Duration of the treatment will be 8 minutes in one session/knee joint for each day for 3 days/week for 8 weeks.The pain and quality of life will be assessed at the baseline and at the end of 8-week post-intervention period.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients diagnosed with clinical knee OA according to the diagnostic criteria of ACR were included in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unwillingness to participate in the study
• Recent history (within the last 3 months) of physical therapy to the same joint
• Recent history (within the last 3 months) of intra-articular procedure (injection and/or lavage) to the knee
• History of knee surgery/fracture
• Acute synovitis/arthritis including the infectious conditions
• Presence of malignancy
• Pregnancy
• Taking pain relief medications