Utilizing the somatosensory system via vibratory stimulation to mitigate knee pain during walking: Randomized clinical trial.

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pain and proprioception deficits are often associated with knee pathologies and resultant quadriceps muscle inhibition. There is a need for new approaches to mitigate active knee pain and restore muscle function during walking. Activating properties of the somatosensory system with common pain and sensory pathways offers a novel opportunity to enhance quadriceps function during walking.RESEARCH QUESTION: Conduct a controlled clinical trial that investigates the effects of applying intermittent vibrational cutaneous stimulation during walking on knee pain and symptoms and their correlations to gait parameters.METHODS: This longitudinal controlled cross-over clinical study included thirty-two patients randomly and blindly assigned to active Treatment A and passive Treatment B for 4 weeks with a 2-week washout period between treatments.RESULTS: Subjects when wearing active Treatment A for 4 weeks had significant (p?=?0.04) improvement in patient reported outcomes, while they had no significant differences with passive Treatment B (p?>?0.7) compared to the no treatment condition. For Treatment A, subjects with low knee flexion moment and knee flexion angle in no-treatment condition exhibited the greatest increase in knee flexion moment/angle in the active treatment condition (R?>?0.57, p?

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