OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous electrical stimulation in the modulation of pain and its implication in the function of patients with a painful knee condition.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search was conducted from database inception to September 2023 across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Randomized controlled trials were included. Two reviewers performed independent data extraction and methodologic quality assessment of the studies. Study quality was assessed using the physiotherapy evidence database Scale and the risk of bias was evaluated with the Cochrane Assessment tool.
RESULTS: Eight studies were included. A significant statistical effect was found ( P < 0.001) for reducing pain and improving function after treatment. In addition, a significant statistical effects were identified for reducing pain ( P = 0.009) and improving function ( P < 0.001) after follow-up. The risk of bias was low.
CONCLUSION: This review showed a positive effect of applying the percutaneous electrical stimulation for reducing pain and improving function in adults with a painful knee.
| Discipline Area | Score |
|---|---|
| Physician |  |
Physician rater
I think they cast their net too widely. The unifying factor for the studies is electrical stimulation, but the means of administration varies. It is my personal opinion that these studies should not be analyzed in the same metanalysis. I have attended 3 live presentations on neuromodulation, so I consider this report to have some value.
Physician rater
The results of this systematic review reinforce previous evidence of the efficacy of minimally invasive percutaneous electrical stimulation in reducing pain and improving function in adults with chronic knee conditions, including osteoarthritis and anterior knee pain. However, there is a need for more standardised protocols and larger trials to address the inconsistencies observed in older studies. Also, the authors also used the PEDro scale to assess the methodological quality of the included studies, but this scale has poor construct validity.
, McMaster University