Comparison of the Efficacy of Phonophoresis and Conventional Ultrasound Therapy in Patients with Primary Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective: To compare the efficacy of phonophoresis (PH) versus ultrasound (US) in patients with primary knee osteoarthritis (OA). Materials and Methods: Forty patients were divided into two groups as PH and US. Acoustic gel containing no pharmacological agent was applied in the US group, whereas a gel containing 1.16% diclofenac diethylamonium was applied in the PH group for 10 sessions. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) were used for the assessment of pain. The WOMAC physical function subscale, Lequesne functional index and Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) were used for the assessment of physical activities. Patients were assessed for a 3 month follow-up period. Results: In the PH group, painless walking duration improved at all follow-up times except for week 2 (p<0.05). Painless walking distance and VAS scores also improved at all follow-up times (p<0.05). In the US group, VAS scores during walking and flexion of the knee, WOMAC pain and physical function scores and total WOMAC scores improved significantly at all follow-up times (p<0.05). Conclusion: Both therapeutic modalities were found effective. We suggest neither therapy is superior to the other but PH can improve painless walking duration more successfully than US.