Thermacare Knee Pain Therapy Review
Thermacare knee pain therapy is a non-surgical solution to relieving pain and stiffness in your knees. This treatment is safe, effective, and often covered by most insurance plans.
Studies have demonstrated the benefits of non-invasive treatment such as heat and cold therapy for managing symptoms associated with knee osteoarthritis (Fife 1997). Thermotherapy is often combined with other interventions to enhance function, reduce pain, and stiffness.
Injection of Hyaluronic Acid – This treatment helps alleviate pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis in your knee joint by injecting hyaluronic acid into your knee. A great alternative to surgery, injection hyaluronic acid is minimally invasive and can provide immediate comfort.
Viscosupplementation – This treatment involves injecting gel-like substances into a joint to supplement synovial fluid’s viscous properties. It’s a non-invasive procedure that can be done at your doctor’s office and may reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis.
Ice Packs – This form of therapy utilizes a cold pack on the affected joint to reduce inflammation and swelling. These may be applied directly onto the joint or massaged over the painful area for increased comfort.
For many years, these techniques have been utilized in the rehabilitation of knee OA to reduce pain and stiffness and increase mobility. However, questions have been raised regarding their efficacy at relieving symptoms in those suffering from OA.
Recent review of clinical trials (Hecht 1983, Clarke 1974 and Yurtkuran 1999) that investigated thermotherapy and/or cold pack application for patients with knee OA found some disagreement over their effectiveness in terms of pain relief, swelling, stiffness and function. These results were derived using a search strategy modified from Dickersin 1994 and Haynes 1994 work.
Our search strategy identified 78 studies on knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and thermal/cold therapy that had been indexed in MEDLINE and EMBASE between 1966 and 2002. Trials were included if they included at least 20 participants, had a primary outcome measure of pain, and compared thermotherapy to standard treatment or placebo.
Other outcomes included changes in knee joint function and patient and physician global perspectives on disease. Although the effect of thermotherapy was not statistically significant, it is unlikely that it would have been true if applied to all patients with knee OA.
Thermotherapy was also demonstrated to be a viable treatment option for other musculoskeletal conditions associated with knee OA, such as hip and back pain. Therefore, the researchers believe it should be included among the list of available treatments available to individuals suffering from this condition.
