Efficacy analysis of low-intensity focused ultrasound for knee joint stiffness

Tian Guihua; Fan Yi; Cheng Chongyuan; Zhou Nian; Bai Dingqun

doi:10.11986/j.issn.1673-873X.2023.10.013

Abstract：Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of low-intensity focused ultrasound in the treatment of knee stiff-ness,and to provide evidence for clinical decision-making.Methods Sixty-four patients with knee stiffness admitted to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from September 2020 to September 2022 were randomly assigned to the experimental group and control group.The control group received comprehensive rehabilitation therapy,while the experimental group received low-intensity focused ultrasound on this basis.The course of treatment was 4 weeks in both groups.The primary outcome was knee range of motion(ROM),and seconda-ry outcomes included the visual analogue scale(VAS),knee circumference,knee function score,muscle belly elasticity of rectus femoris,quadriceps tendon,and patellar ligament elasticity.Results Before treatment,no significant difference was observed in ROM,VAS score,knee circumference difference,muscle belly elasticity of rectus femoris,quadriceps tendon e-lasticity,patellar ligament elasticity,and American Hospital for Special Surgery(HSS)for knee scores between the two groups(P＞0.05).After 4 weeks of treatment,ROM in both groups significantly increased,and the experimental group was significantly better than the control group(P＜0.05);VAS score in both groups was significantly decreased(P＜0.05);the difference in knee circumference on the unaffected side in both groups was significantly reduced(P＜0.05).The difference in muscle belly elasticity of rectus femoris,quadriceps tendon elasticity,and patellar ligament elasticity on the un-affected side in both groups were significantly reduced;the difference in muscle belly elasticity of rectus femoris on the unaf-fected side in the experimental group was significantly smaller than that in the concurrent control group after treatment,and the HSS knee score in both groups was significantly increased,and the test group was higher than the concurrent control group(P＜0.05).No adverse events related to low-intensity focused ultrasound were detected during the treatment in the experimental group.Conclusion Low-intensity focused ultrasound is a safe,effective,and feasible method to effectively pro-mote ROM and knee joint function in patients with post-traumatic knee stiffness.