Does osteoarthritis of the knee also have a psychogenic component? Psycho-emotional treatment with a radio-electric device vs. intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate: an open-label, naturalistic study.

This study is to compare, in patients suffering of knee joint disorder, the effects of intra-articular injection of Sodium Hyaluronate, and those of a treatment aiming at the improvement of the emotional status carried out by means of a Radio Electric Device (REAC). 30 subjects were divided into two groups: 15 who preferred a non-drugs approach (Group A) and 15 who preferred an infiltrative treatment (Group B). The evaluations were expressed for both pain level and knee bending and extension. Group A showed significant decrease in pain, stiffness, joint noises and intra-articular effusion, and significant improvement in motion range, without any patients worsening. 8 patients showed complete disappearance of pain in Visual Analog Pain Scale (VAS) evaluation, evident by a level of 0. The initial VAS results were between 8 and 4. One month after treatment's end, VAS results of the patients in Group A were between 3 and 0. Group B showed significant decrease in pain, stiffness, joint noises and intra-articular effusion, but no significant improvement in motion range; 2 of 15 patients showed worsening symptoms and no significant improvement in muscular hypotrophy. Initial VAS results were between 7 and 4. One month after treatment's end, VAS results were between 6 and 0.