2022 Volume 29 Issue 1 Pages 48-54
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of ultrasound therapy (UST) for pes anserine symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).Methods: Thirty-four knee OA patients with pes anserine symptoms were enrolled in this study. The subjects were randomly assigned to the UST and placebo groups. They underwent three performance tests (the 10 m walking test, the sit to stand test, and the stair climbing test) just before and after an intervention, and the time required for each performance test and the degree of pes anserinus pain assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) during each performance test were measured.Results: Two-way analysis of variance showed a significant interaction only in the VAS during the stair climbing test. Moreover, post hoc test with Bonferroni correction showed significant improvements in the time required for all the performance tests in the UST group and the stair climbing test in the placebo group, and the VAS during the sit to stand and stair climbing tests in the UST group.Conclusion: The significant interaction observed only in the VAS during the stair climbing test strongly suggests the effectiveness of UST for the relief of pes anserinus pain during stair climbing in patients with knee OA. UST is likely to be effective in the relief of pes anserinus symptoms, especially pes anserinus pain during stair climbing, in patients with knee OA.
