title: Immediate effects of electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture on pain, mobility and muscle strength in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the immediate effects of electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture on pain, mobility and muscle strength in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients with knee osteoarthritis, with a pain intensity of ≥2 on the pain Numerical Rating Scale, were included. The patients were randomised into two groups: manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture. Pain intensity, degree of dysfunction (Timed Up and Go (TUG) test), maximal voluntary isometric contraction and pressure pain threshold were assessed before and after a single session of manual acupuncture or electroacupuncture treatments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups showed a significant reduction in pain intensity (p<0.001) and time to run the TUG test after the acupuncture treatment (p=0.005 for the manual acupuncture group and p=0.002 for the electroacupuncture group). There were no differences between the groups regarding pain intensity (p=0.25), TUG test (p=0.70), maximum voluntary isometric contraction (p=0.43) or pressure pain threshold (p=0.27).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study found no difference between the immediate effects of a single session of manual acupuncture and electroacupuncture on pain, muscle strength and mobility in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  RBR-9TCN2X.
authors.affiliation: Master's and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Plaster
authors.affiliation: Master's and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wellington Bueno
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Vieira
authors.affiliation: Master's and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Flávia Alves Duarte
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Alencar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Estatística, Universidade de Brasília (UnB), Brasília, DF, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo Yoshio
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.affiliation: Master's and Doctoral Programs in Physical Therapy, Universidade Cidade de São Paulo (UNICID), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Richard Eloin
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Liebano
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D059408:Pain Management; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Acupuncture; Pain Management; Pain Research