Knee Osteoarthritis and Rehabilitation

Knee Osteoarthritis and Lazer Therapy

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease of articular cartilage that causes hypertrophic changes in bone. OA is a non-inflammatory progressive musculoskeletal disease and is one of the most common degenerative diseases in the general population. OA is characterized by progressive cartilage destruction in load-bearing joints, subchondral sclerosis, osteophyte formation, and some biochemical and morphological changes in the synovial membrane and joint capsule. Common symptoms of knee osteoarthritis are; Knee pain that increases with activity, limitation of normal joint movement of the knee, edema, and knee pain that begins with prolonged sitting.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of laser treatment applied in addition to conventional physiotherapy on pain, function, muscle strength and balance in patients with knee osteoarthritis who received PRP.

OA is a non-inflammatory progressive musculoskeletal disease; damage begins in the cartilage and causes changes in the joint structure over time. Although intra-articular injection approaches have been frequently used in the treatment of OA recently, intra-articular injections known as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) have also started to be used frequently. Today, the areas of use of laser therapy have increased. When the laser beam is applied, it is absorbed by the tissue or scattered back. Laser has photochemical, thermal and ionizing effects on tissues. Laser has an analgesic effect by increasing endorphin synthesis and reducing C nerve fiber activation. Laser indirectly increases microcirculation by increasing temperature in the tissue. Although there are various studies on treatment options for OA in the literature, no studies have been found to investigate the effectiveness of laser treatment applied in addition to conventional treatment after PRP. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of laser treatment applied in addition to conventional physiotherapy on pain, function, muscle strength and balance in patients with knee osteoarthritis who received PRP.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Volunteering to participate in the study
• Being diagnosed with knee OA by a specialist physician
• Having had PRP injection applied by a specialist physician
• Having unilateral knee OA
• Being stage I-stage III in the Kellgren-Lawrence OA classification
• Being between the ages of 18-65

Exclusion Criteria:

• Being stage IV in the Kellgren-Lawrence OA classification
• BMI being more than 40 kg/m2
• Patients who do not cooperate well
• Patients with neurological or neuromuscular disease