DIATHERMY
Introduction
In this paper we will discuss about a treatment method for the patients of knee pain and other osteological disabilities. We will look into the basic principle on which it works, the diseases or pains that can be treated with the help of this particular therapy and the scopes of the procedure in the long run. We will also take a look into the literary works performed by various researchers in this regard. Many research workers have performed different researches to ascertain the effectiveness of the treatment procedure. We will analyze the success and applicability of this method through the results of those researches.
Diathermy stands for a form of therapeutic treatment which is used for the treatment of bone diseases involving the knee joints, like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. In the procedure, short waves, ultrasound waves or microwaves of electric currents are delivered in order to generate heat in the deeper tissues of the body. This heat can provide relief from pain and can also increase a stagnant or impeded flow of blood. It can also be used in the surgical procedures for sealing blood vessels and for destroying abnormal cells (Giorgi, 2013).
A systemic literature study was conducted by Laufer and Dar to ascertain the efficacy of short wave diathermy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis and to assess the effects of heat generation in the knee. The conducted meta- analysis suggested that there was very small but significant effect on the muscular performance and knee pain after administration of short wave diathermy and the subsequent generation of heat. However, the study had limitations as the number of included studies was not good enough and there were variations in the methods of assessment among the studies. The authors called for more intensive research for assessing the efficacy of short wave therapy properly and to its utmost capacities (Laufer and Dar, 2012).
Another research carried out by Cetin, Aytar, Atalay and Akman, aimed at estimating the best mode of therapeutic treatment among hot pack, diathermy, and ultrasound. One hundred patients were selected for the research; all these patients were suffering from knee pain at the time of conducting the examination. They were then divided into five different groups with twenty patients in each group. The results of the study suggested that the use of short wave diathermy was more superior to all the other forms of treatment. The use of short wave diathermy produced better results in terms of pain reduction, performance optimization and better exercising abilities when compared to the other modes (Cetin, Aytar, Atalay & Akman, 2008).
Another ultrasonographic study was performed by a Jan, Chai, Wan, Lin and Tsai to estimate the result of repeated short wave diathermy in the treatment of synovitis for the patients of knee osteoarthritis. A total of thirty patients were selected. Out of them, forty four knee pain cases were registered. Among these thirty, eleven patients received short wave diathermy treatment. Other nine received short wave diathermy along with non steroidal anti inflammatory medications. The other nine were considered as the control group and were debarred from any form of treatment. The synovial thicknesses of different parts of patella were measured with the help of ultrasonography. The total of all these measurements was considered as the total synovial sac thickness. All the patients were made to undergo repeated ultrasonographies. After ten episodes of short wave diathermy, all the patients of the treatment groups showed reduction in the total synovial sac thickness. With further increase in the number of treatment sessions, the thickness of the synovial sac kept decreasing. But as expected, the control groups did not show any reduction in the thickness of the synovial sac. Thus, the study concluded that short wave diathermy significantly reduced knee pain and synovial sac thickness significantly, and with continuous episodes of treatment, the condition will improve progressively (Jan, Chai, Wang, Lin & Tsai, 2006).
Another important disease condition which can be cured with the help of short wave diathermy is carpal tunnel syndrome. A clinical trial was conducted to study the short term effects of short wave diathermy on the patients of carpal tunnel syndrome. The study confirmed short term relief for the patients of carpal tunnel syndrome following the use of short wave diathermy. The relief in pain was from mild to moderate and there was a simultaneous increase in the hand performance too (Incebiyik, Boyaci & Tutoqlu, 2015).
Conclusion
It can thus be said that the therapy named as diathermy has proved to be effective for many patients and have provided them respite from their intense pain. The therapy has proven to be effective in the treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome to a great extent. It reduces the pain and the thickness of the synovial sac, hence providing relief from excruciating pains. The treatment procedure has immense potential to treat patients in the future. However, more research is required to include more osteological problems under the domain of this therapy.
References
Cetin, N., Aytar, A., Atalay, A., & Akman, M. (2008). Comparing Hot Pack, Short-Wave Diathermy, Ultrasound, and TENS on Isokinetic Strength, Pain, and Functional Status of Women with Osteoarthritic Knees. American Journal Of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 87(6), 443-451. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/phm.0b013e318174e467
Giorgi, A. (2013). Diathermy. Healthline. Retrieved 20 March 2016, from http://www.healthline.com/health/diathermy
Incebiyik, S., Boyaci, A., & Tutoqlu, A. (2015). Short-term effectiveness of short-wave diathermy treatment on pain, clinical symptoms, and hand function in patients with mild or moderate idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome. Journal Of Back And Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 28(2).
Jan, M., Chai, H., Wang, C., Lin, Y., & Tsai, L. (2006). Effects of Repetitive Shortwave Diathermy for Reducing Synovitis in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: An Ultrasonographic Study. Ultrasound Quarterly, 22(2), 113-114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00013644-200606000-00009
Laufer, Y., & Dar, G. (2012). Effectiveness of thermal and athermal short-wave diathermy for the management of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoarthritis And Cartilage, 20(9), 957-966. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2012.05.005
