Evidence map›Paper›PMID 17587446›Full record

SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2007

Short-term efficacy of physical interventions in osteoarthritic knee pain. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo-controlled trials.

Jan M Bjordal, Mark I Johnson, Rodrigo A B Lopes-Martins, Bård Bogen, Roberta Chow, Anne E Ljunggren

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02947451 (Immediate Effects of Manual Therapy Versus TENS in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis), which is not on this map. Cited by 101 papers, 18 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
101citing papers in PubMed, 18 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02947451 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2016, after this paper: background citation

Immediate Effects of Manual Therapy Versus TENS in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis

TypeinterventionalSponsorGabriel Peixoto Leão AlmeidaRan2016 to 2018Enrolled54ConditionsKnee OsteoarthritisArmsManual Therapy, TENS
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

101 citing papers in PubMed, 18 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  11. Acupuncture for cancer pain in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015
    Pooled it
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  13. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for acute pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015
    Pooled it
  14. A systematic review with meta-analysis of the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in cancer therapy-induced oral mucositis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2011
    Pooled it
  15. Pooled it
  16. Guideline
  17. Transcutaneous electrostimulation for osteoarthritis of the knee.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2009
    Pooled it
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  19. Trial
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41 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jan M BjordalFaculty of Health and Social Sciences, Institute of Physiotherapy, Bergen University College, Moellendalsvn, Bergen Norway. jmb@hib.no
Mark I Johnson
Rodrigo A B Lopes-Martins
Bård Bogen
Roberta Chow
Anne E Ljunggren

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTreatment efficacy of physical agents in osteoarthritis of the knee (OAK) pain has been largely unknown, and this systematic review was aimed at assessing their short-term efficacies for pain relief.

methodsSystematic review with meta-analysis of efficacy within 1-4 weeks and at follow up at 1-12 weeks after the end of treatment.

results36 randomised placebo-controlled trials (RCTs) were identified with 2434 patients where 1391 patients received active treatment. 33 trials satisfied three or more out of five methodological criteria (Jadad scale). The patient sample had a mean age of 65.1 years and mean baseline pain of 62.9 mm on a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS). Within 4 weeks of the commencement of treatment manual acupuncture, static magnets and ultrasound therapies did not offer statistically significant short-term pain relief over placebo. Pulsed electromagnetic fields offered a small reduction in pain of 6.9 mm [95% CI: 2.2 to 11.6] (n = 487). Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS, including interferential currents), electro-acupuncture (EA) and low level laser therapy (LLLT) offered clinically relevant pain relieving effects of 18.8 mm [95% CI: 9.6 to 28.1] (n = 414), 21.9 mm [95% CI: 17.3 to 26.5] (n = 73) and 17.7 mm [95% CI: 8.1 to 27.3] (n = 343) on VAS respectively versus placebo control. In a subgroup analysis of trials with assumed optimal doses, short-term efficacy increased to 22.2 mm [95% CI: 18.1 to 26.3] for TENS, and 24.2 mm [95% CI: 17.3 to 31.3] for LLLT on VAS. Follow-up data up to 12 weeks were sparse, but positive effects seemed to persist for at least 4 weeks after the course of LLLT, EA and TENS treatment was stopped.

conclusionTENS, EA and LLLT administered with optimal doses in an intensive 2-4 week treatment regimen, seem to offer clinically relevant short-term pain relief for OAK.

Indexed as

Acupuncture AnalgesiaMagneticsTranscutaneous Electric Nerve StimulationUltrasonography, InterventionalHumansOsteoarthritis, KneeRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID17587446
PMCPMC1931596

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.