Trial reportClinical interventions in aging2010
Preferences for heat, cold, or contrast in patients with knee osteoarthritis affect treatment response.
Trial report in Clinical interventions in aging, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cryotherapy and thermotherapy in the management of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: A comprehensive review.Fundamental research · 2025Review
- Mechanisms and Efficacy of Contrast Therapy for Musculoskeletal Painful Disease: A Scoping Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Development and feasibility testing of a new device for home-based leg heat therapy in patients with lower extremity peripheral artery disease.Journal of vascular surgery cases and innovative techniques · 2025Article
- Recent advances in the management of knee osteoarthritis: a narrative review.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Heat therapy for different knee diseases: expert opinion.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2024Review
- Multimodal non-invasive non-pharmacological therapies for chronic pain: mechanisms and progress.BMC medicine · 2023Review
- Physiotherapists' Understanding of Shortwave Diathermy Contraindications: A Questionnaire Survey.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2023Article
- Conservative treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A review of the literature.World journal of orthopedics · 2022Review
- Use of Cryotherapy for Managing Chronic Pain: An Evidence-Based Narrative.Pain and therapy · 2021Review
- Comparison of 8-year knee osteoarthritis progression in 2 siblings: a case-based review.Clinical rheumatology · 2020Review
- Article
- Osteoarthritis: physical medicine and rehabilitation--nonpharmacological management.Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2013Review
- [Conservative therapy of osteoarthritis].Der Orthopade · 2013Article
- Knee osteoarthritis: key treatments and implications for physical therapy.Brazilian journal of physical therapyReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis investigation assessed preferences for, and effects of, 5 days of twice daily superficial heat, cold, or contrast therapy applied with a commercially available system permitting the circulation of water through a wrap-around garment, use of an electric heating pad, or rest for patients with level II-IV osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee.
methodsWe employed a within subject, randomized order design to study 34 patients receiving each treatment in 1-week blocks. A knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) questionnaire and visual analog pain scale was completed at baseline, and twice each week. Treatment preferences were assessed in the last week of the study.
resultsTreatment with the device set to warm was preferred by 48% of subjects. Near equal preferences were observed for cold (24%) and contrast (24%). Pain reduction and improvements in KOOS subscale measures were demonstrated for each treatment but responses were (P < 0.05) greater with preferred treatments. Most patients preferred treatment with the water circulating garment system over a heating pad.
conclusionsWe recommend that when superficial heat or cold is considered in the management of knee OA that patients experiment to identify the intervention that offers them the greatest relief and that contrast is a treatment option.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.