Category: Practical
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Back Pain (nsLBP)
RF is best considered an adjunct within the treatment of back pain. In two large studies Gibson et al. 1985 and Sweetman et al. 1993 did not find RF alone was any better than contemporary treatments for LBP. Wagstaff et al. 1986 (6 sessions over 3 weeks 15mins per session) said RF offered significant pain…
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Knee
Osteoarthritis (OA) There are several studies showing the benefits of RF in patients with OA of the knee Alcidi et al. 2007 treated patients with OA knee with 5 x 20min sessions (500khz) over 5 days compared to TENS. The RF group reported significantly lower pain levels for a greater length of time than the…
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Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Treatment should only be given if the patient is not in the active phase: Hamilton et al. 1959 said RF helped both pain and mobility in patients with RA in the knees and hands (12 sessions over 4 weeks 20mins per session). However Harris 1961 showed RF could increase symptoms during the active phase/s (use…
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Tendon & Ligament
Effects of RF on connective tissues (ligaments and tendons) have been shown in many studies (not going back quite as far as temperature or blood flow). Most of the studies are for ‘chronic’ or ‘longstanding’ conditions: Costantino et al. 2005 compared 448khz RF to laser and cryotherapy in acute Achilles, patella and lateral epicondyle tendinopathy. …