Aim of the study: Gonarthrosis is a degenerative disease of the articular cartilage. Its main symptoms are pain, swelling, stiffness, limitation of functions and deformations of the joint. One of the available methods of preservative treatment of gonarthrosis is vibroacoustic therapy (VT), which evokes micro-vibrations in the tissues – through the use of sound waves of variable frequency and amplitude. The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of VT on the functional status of people with gonarthrosis.
Material and methods: Forty-four people, aged over 44, with gonarthrosis were subjected to 10 sessions of VT with the Vitafon-T device, in a variable range of frequencies between 30 and 18 000 Hz. The sessions lasted 15 minutes. In order to estimate the effectiveness of the therapy, double measurements (before and after therapy) of the following parameters were taken: pain (VAS), joint circumferences and function tests (Timed Up and Go – TUG), the average free walking time at the 6 m distance and the knee bends test. The statistical analysis was carried out using the Wilcoxon test, with the significance level of p < 0.0001.
Results: In the examined group a decrease was observed in: pain (by 1.9 VAS points among 77% of the patients), circumference of the joints among 91% and the time of conducting the TUG test in 96%. The number of knee bends increased in 82% of the patients. All the results reached statistical significance (p < 0.0001). The free walking improved among 91%; however, this result was not statistically significant.
Conclusions: Vibroacoustic therapy has brought positive treatment effects of an analgesic and anti-swelling character, which has further influenced the functional efficiency of the patients with gonarthrosis. The research still needs to be expanded to other groups of patients before the method may be popularized in primary care rehabilitation facilities.