جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "chondromalacia patella" در نشریات گروه "پزشکی"

One of the most prevalent causes of anterior knee pain is chondromalacia patella (CMP), particularly among young populations, including soldiers. Although various treatments have been suggested to relieve the symptoms and improve the functioning of patients with CMP, none have proven to be adequately effective.

This study assessed the effectiveness of electroacupuncture as a complementary treatment for CMP, noting its minimal complications.

In this randomized clinical trial, soldiers diagnosed with CMP who met the inclusion criteria and referred to Imam Reza Hospital in Tehran in 2023 were assigned to one of two treatment groups. The electroacupuncture group received treatment at specific acupuncture points combined with an electrical current. The physical therapy group underwent treatment consisting of 10 sessions of routine physical therapy modalities. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain and disability and the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) questionnaire were used to assess the outcomes before the intervention and three months after the intervention.

Twenty participants were analyzed in each group. The VAS for pain and disability reduced in both groups during the study; however, the difference between the two groups was not significant (P = 0.999 for pain and P = 0.873 for disability). No significant difference was observed in the KOOS symptom score either during the study or between the two groups (P = 0.423). The changes in the “pain” scores of the KOOS questionnaire were significant both in the electroacupuncture group (P = 0.003) and in the physical therapy group (P = 0.038); however, the difference was not significant between the two groups. The “activities of daily living” scores of the patients were significant both during the study and between the two groups (P = 0.042), with a steeper improvement in the electroacupuncture group. The patients’ “sports and recreational activities” scores were significant in the electroacupuncture group (P = 0.001) and between the two groups (P = 0.023). The “knee-related quality-of-life” scores were significant in both groups, and the comparison of the two groups indicated that the slope of the changes was higher in the electroacupuncture group than in the physical therapy group (P = 0.001).

According to the results of the current research, electroacupuncture can improve the symptoms and function of patients with CMP, and its efficacy is equivalent to that of physical therapy.

Chondromalacia patella is the most common cause of mechanical knee pain in young women. Q angle and knee alignment are important clinical parameters for biomechanics of the patellofemoral joint. To identify the prevalence of knee malalignment and to find out if there is a correlation between knee mal alignment and Q angle with age at onset of disease. All patients under 40 years old complaining of mechanical knee pain with positive shrug sign and normal knee radiography who were referred to Amir A''lam Rheumatology Clinic during the period of September 2000 to September 2002 were included in this study. The patients were examined by a rheumatologist for measuring Q angle and detection of knee malalignment. Age at onset of disease was defined as initiation of knee pain according to the patient''s history. The cases were 260 with 189 females. Prevalence of knee mal alignment was 32.4%. The mean age at onset of disease was 22.8 ± 7.08 years. The mean age at onset in patients with knee mal alignment (21.41 ± 5.66 years) was significantly lower than the mean age at onset in those without knee malalignment (23.6 ± 7.43 years) (p= 0.002). There was a positive correlation between Q angle and age at onset of disease (r=0.17,p= 0.006). It seems reasonable to identify knee malalignment in chondromalacia patella patients and perform proper management to postpone progression of disease. There are many other factors that influence age at onset of disease, so further investigation is recommended.