Comparative efficacy of cycle-ergometry exercise and glucosamine sulphate iontophoresis in pain management of subjects with sub-acute knee osteoarthritis

Abstract

Aims: Exercise and electro-analgesia are commonly used in physiotherapy practice to manage peripheral joint arthritis. Exercise is probably the least thing most subjects will embark on when experiencing pain especially at the acute and sub-acute stage. Till date, controversy still trails which treatment technique is more superior over the others. The primary purpose of this study was compare the efficacy of exercise therapy and glucosamine sulphate iontophoresis in managing pain experienced among subjects with sub-acute knee osteoarthritis.
Methods: Participants are 52 subjects with sub-acute knee osteoarthritis who were randomly grouped into 3. Group 1 received exercise therapy and glucosamine sulphate iontophoresis while group 2 participants received glucosamine sulphate iontophoresis only. An equivalent of 3ml of glucosamine sulphate was administered for 15 minute via an Interrupted Galvanic current. Group 3 subjects received exercise therapy only via cycle Ergometry. They rated pain experienced at the knee joint on a 10-point pain scale. Both the descriptive and inferential statistics (ANOVA) were used.
Results: The result of ANOVA showed that there was no significant difference in the final pain (post-test) experienced between the 3 groups.
Conclusion: This study concluded that combination of exercise therapy with glucosamine sulphate iontophoresis is not superior in relieving pain better than using exercise therapy only, although, all the treatment techniques are effective in pain management.

Key words:

exercise, iontophoresis, pain, knee osteoarthritis