Effect of interferential current therapy versus cryotherapy on knee pain in osteoporotic postmenopausal women: A single-blind randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction. Postmenopausal knee pain, due to lack of oestrogen, is an important medical and socioeconomic problem that affects the quality of life. The most important symptom is pain during walking. The purpose of the study was to compare the effect of interferential current therapy vs. cryotherapy on knee pain in postmenopausal women. Methods. Overall, 30 postmenopausal women with knee pain, aged 50-60 years, were assigned randomly into 2 equal groups. Group A received interferential current therapy for 4 weeks, while group B received cryotherapy for 4 weeks. General knee pain severity, knee pain severity during walking, and femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) were assessed before and after treatment through visual analogue scale, walking pain scale, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, respectively. Results. Statistical analysis revealed a significant reduction in knee pain severity generally as well as during walking and a significant increase of femoral neck BMD after treatment in both groups (p = 0.0001). When comparing both groups post-treatment, there was a highly significant reduction in knee pain severity generally as well as during walking (p = 0.0001) in favour of group A, while a statistically non-significant difference was observed in the increase in femoral neck BMD between the groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions. Interferential current therapy is more effective than cryotherapy in reducing the severity of knee pain, both generally and during walking, in osteoporotic postmenopausal women.