Stimulation Plus Brace Boosts Clinical Knee Outcomes

Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee who are not yet opting for TKA (total knee arthroplasty) surgery will find the results of a new study published in The American Journal of Orthopedics helpful. The study found that a combination of VQ OrthoCare’s BioniCare (a non-invasive pulsed electrical stimulator) with a joint unloading knee brace provided a 70% better clinical improvement than did than either treatment alone.

More than 500 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee participated in the study. The results convinced study authors that the combination of BioniCare and a joint unloading knee brace is the most effective treatment option for OA (osteoarthritis) of the knee. They found that patients with OA of the knee who use the treatment combination have the ability to quicken their recovery, regain knee functionality and defer or avoid higher-risk treatment options. After 12 months of treatment, the combination treatment was favored on all seven outcome parameters.

David S. Hungerford, M.D., lead author and professor emeritus, Department of Orthopedic Surgery Johns Hopkins University, said, “This study shows that there is now an effective, non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical way to not only reduce symptoms, but also maintain and even increase physical activity. Thus far, only electrical stimulation with the BioniCare knee device has been shown to reduce the physical signs and symptoms of OA of the knee, and the brace has been shown to be effective in helping patients remain active while controlling symptoms. This study shows conclusively that by combining electrical stimulation and the brace, better results are achieved than either treatment modality alone.”

The peer-reviewed study consisted of 225 study group patients with OA of the knee who were treated at 16 orthopedic and rheumatology practices. The control group consisted of 289 patients with OA of the knee who were treated at 57 orthopedic and rheumatology practices. For both groups, best medical therapy included weight loss, knee-strengthening exercises, and NSAIDs or analgesics. Corticosteroid injections and viscosupplementation were not allowed during the study. Novella Clinical performed the independent statistical analysis.

Hungerford noted that than 20 million patients are affected by OA of the knee and as many as 600, 000 are severe enough to warrant total knee replacement surgery annually. Though it is a highly successful operation, he noted that it is also “expensive and potentially dangerous.”