Study on the effects of the use of therapeutic ultrasound in the treatment of osteoarticular diseases

Abstract

Introduction. The use of therapeutic ultrasounds is a method that proved its efficiency in articular and periarticular pathology, in the subacute and chronic stages. The biological effects of the ultrasound use are determined by their interaction with the cellular structures whereas the results depend on the used parameters. The purpose of the survey is to evaluate / identify the effects of using ultrasounds in the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions (lumbar discopathy), knee osteoarthritis). Material and method. The survey was conducted on an outpatient basis in a period of 7 months and it is of the longitudinal type. It included 151 patients diagnosed with low back pain and knee osteoarthritis. The evaluated parameters were: pain, functional skills, articular rigidity and the quality of life. Results. The effects of the use of ultrasounds is found in the decrease of pain, the stiffness of the joints and the contracture of the muscles, as shown by the results of several surveys. Our survey proves that the use of ultrasounds decreases pain and increases the functional skills, it influences the physical function more obviously in patients with knee osteoarthritis, which is an aspect found in others surveys. Discussion. The use of a complex ultrasound treatment (in the pulsed way to avoid thermal effects) and kinesiotherapy enabled in our research the decrease of the pain and of the rigidity in the joints, the increase of the functional skills and the quality of life, whereas these obtained results are in accordance with those of others surveys. Conclusions. The use of the therapeutic ultrasounds can have the following effects:  the decrease of the pain and of the joint rigidity, the improvement of the physical capacity for daily activities and the improvement of the quality of life. The use of low intensity ultrasounds can determine biological effects with actions for a short period or for an average one.