NCT06578663

Electrical Dry Needling Versus Iontophoresis in Treating Chronic Unilateral Knee Osteoarthritis

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (actual)
• Sponsor: Horus University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 40 Years – 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effects of electrical dry needling versus glucosamine sulfate iontophoresis on pain intensity level, functional ability, and knee range of motion in chronic unilateral knee osteoarthritis patients.

Detailed description

Knee Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease affecting 240 million people worldwide, with a higher prevalence in older adults. The disease leads to knee deformity, laxity, and ligament instability. Dry needling, a new treatment modality, uses needle electrodes to deliver an electric current to the pain-generating trigger point, improving the physiological effects and analgesic and anesthetic effects. Iontophoresis, a safer method of drug therapy, has shown to be more effective in pain reduction in knee osteoarthritic patients. The study aims to investigate the effect of electrical dry needling versus glucosamine sulfate iontophoresis on pain intensity level, knee function, and range of motion (ROM) in chronic knee OA patients. This approach aims to maximize drug bioavailability, optimize therapeutic efficacy, and minimize side effects.

Conditions

• Osteoarthritis of Knee

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	conventional physical therapy	including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and an exercise therapy program (stretching exercises, both hip and knee strengthening, balance, and stability exercise)
OTHER	Electrical Dry Needling	In electrical dry needling, needle electrodes are used to deliver an electric current to the taut muscle band or the pain-generating trigger point. Low-frequency currents are thought to improve the physiological effects of the therapy by using electrical stimulation to enhance certain physiological reactions and achieve a speedier analgesic and anesthetic effect than that obtained with standard dry needling.
OTHER	Glucosamine sulfate iontophoresis	Galvanic current mode will be used to deliver the cream through the skin. One gram of GS will be placed on positive electrode (being positively charged using Trans-arthral electrode placement technique) for administration of Iontophoresis \[40mA-min (2mA x 20minutes)\].

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-06-01
• Primary completion: 2024-12-01
• Completion: 2025-06-01
• First posted: 2024-08-29
• Last updated: 2025-07-15

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Egypt