Table 1.
Baseline characteristics.
| Variables | Only TENS group (n = 19) | LIPUS with TENS group (n = 19) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (year) | 56.00 ± 7.43 | 59.47 ± 9.20 | 0.209 |
| Sex (male: female) | 5 : 14 | 3 : 16 | 0.693 |
| Duration of pain (months) | 62.74 ± 65.58 | 64.84 ± 62.70 | 0.803 |
| Kellgren–Lawrence score (n) | |||
| Grade I | 9 | 6 | 0.602 |
| Grade II | 8 | 9 | |
| Grade III | 2 | 3 | |
| Grade IV | 0 | 1 | |
| VAS-P1 | 4.00 ± 1.37 | 4.16 ± 1.50 | 0.752 |
| VAS-P2 | 4.95 ± 1.51 | 4.89 ± 1.24 | 0.928 |
| VAS-P3 | 2.68 ± 1.34 | 3.00 ± 1.15 | 0.441 |
| WOMAC | |||
| Pain | 7.53 ± 3.67 | 8.63 ± 3.09 | 0.322 |
| Stiffness | 1.26 ± 1.79 | 1.53 ± 1.50 | 0.418 |
| Physical function | 20.89 ± 11.79 | 25.05 ± 11.20 | 0.273 |
| Total score | 29.68 ± 15.83 | 35.21 ± 14.74 | 0.307 |
| FAC thickness (cm) | |||
| Medial | 0.20 ± 0.03 | 0.20 ± 0.03 | 0.751 |
| Central | 0.21 ± 0.04 | 0.20 ± 0.04 | 0.325 |
| Lateral | 0.20 ± 0.03 | 0.20 ± 0.03 | 0.908 |
| SF-36 global score | 58.25 ± 17.08 | 59.11 ± 16.59 | 0.651 |
Data are presented as mean ± SD. ∗P < 0.05. TENS, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; LIPUS, low-intensity pulsed ultrasound; VAS, visual analogue scale (range, 1 to 10), with higher values indicating worse outcomes; VAS-P1, visual analogue scale for knee pain at the current moment; VAS-P2, visual analogue scale for knee pain with movement; VAS-P3, visual analogue scale for knee pain at the resting position; WOMAC, Western Ontario and McMaster index with higher scores representing worse pain, stiffness, and impaired physical function; FAC, femoral articular cartilage; SF-36, the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey with a higher score indicating better health.