SynthesisFrontiers in neurology
Current status and research gaps of neuromodulation in the rehabilitation of knee osteoarthritis: a scoping review.
Synthesis in Frontiers in neurology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a highly prevalent degenerative joint disease with a growing global disease burden, yet traditional interventions have limited efficacy. Neuromodulation has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological rehabilitation strategy for KOA, but existing reviews have not systematically synthesized the clinical protocols, efficacy characteristics, and full spectrum of research gaps for mainstream neuromodulation techniques. This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, aiming to describe the current application status and identify critical research gaps. Methods: A systematic search was performed in PubMed and Web of Science databases for clinical studies on neuromodulation for KOA published between May 13, 2021 and May 13, 2026. Two researchers independently completed literature screening, data extraction, and cross-verification according to pre-specified inclusion and exclusion. Results: A total of 131 records were initially retrieved. After deduplication, title/abstract screening, and full-text evaluation, 23 studies were finally included, comprising 18 randomized controlled trials, 3 self-controlled before-after trials, 1 retrospective case series, and 1 cross-sectional study. The included studies covered three core categories of neuromodulation: peripheral neuromodulation (TENS, NMES, PNS, electroacupuncture, electrical dry needling, tVNS), central neuromodulation (tDCS), and combined neuromodulation (TENS + tDCS). All techniques demonstrated certain efficacy in pain relief and functional improvement, but intervention protocols varied widely, and optimal parameters have not been standardized. Conclusion: Neuromodulation, as a non-pharmacological rehabilitation strategy, has broad application prospects in KOA treatment. However, existing studies still have deficiencies in intervention standardization, long-term efficacy evaluation, and mechanism exploration. Future high-quality, large-sample studies are needed to optimize clinical protocols and clarify mechanisms of action, providing evidence support for the standardized application of neuromodulation in KOA rehabilitation. Systematic review registration: Retrospective registration for this study on Open‑Science Framework (OSF). The publicly available link is https://osf.io/vyz8q/overview.
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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.