Efficacy and Safety of a Stimulator Using Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Combined with Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Patients with Painful Knee Osteoarthritis

Table 1

Baseline characteristics.

Variables	Only TENS group (n = 19)	LIPUS with TENS group (n = 19)	value
Age (year)	56.00 ± 7.43	59.47 ± 9.20	0.209
Sex (male: female)	5 : 14	3 : 16	0.693
Duration of pain (months)	62.74 ± 65.58	64.84 ± 62.70	0.803
Kellgren–Lawrence score (n)
Grade I	9	6	0.602
Grade II	8	9
Grade III	2	3
Grade IV	0	1
VAS-P1	4.00 ± 1.37	4.16 ± 1.50	0.752
VAS-P2	4.95 ± 1.51	4.89 ± 1.24	0.928
VAS-P3	2.68 ± 1.34	3.00 ± 1.15	0.441
WOMAC
Pain	7.53 ± 3.67	8.63 ± 3.09	0.322
Stiffness	1.26 ± 1.79	1.53 ± 1.50	0.418
Physical function	20.89 ± 11.79	25.05 ± 11.20	0.273
Total score	29.68 ± 15.83	35.21 ± 14.74	0.307
FAC thickness (cm)
Medial	0.20 ± 0.03	0.20 ± 0.03	0.751
Central	0.21 ± 0.04	0.20 ± 0.04	0.325
Lateral	0.20 ± 0.03	0.20 ± 0.03	0.908
SF-36 global score	58.25 ± 17.08	59.11 ± 16.59	0.651

Data are presented as mean ± SD. . TENS, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; LIPUS, low-intensity pulsed ultrasound; VAS, visual analogue scale (range, 1 to 10), with higher values indicating worse outcomes; VAS-P1, visual analogue scale for knee pain at the current moment; VAS-P2, visual analogue scale for knee pain with movement; VAS-P3, visual analogue scale for knee pain at the resting position; WOMAC, Western Ontario and McMaster index with higher scores representing worse pain, stiffness, and impaired physical function; FAC, femoral articular cartilage; SF-36, the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey with a higher score indicating better health.