Kinesio Taping Versus Interferential Current Therapy in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis: a Comparative Study

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most common form of degenerative joint disease affecting 15%-40% of people over 40 years of age. In 2020, the global incidence of KOA was 86.7 million individuals. KOA is responsible for substantial health and economic costs. KOA is the most common cause of pain and disability among older persons. The key symptoms of KOA are pain, functional disability, and decreased patient quality of life through its negative effects on mobility, mood, and sleep. Other symptoms are swelling, stiffness, joint deformity, and muscular atrophy.

The Treatment goals for KOA are to decrease pain and improve physical function. Physical therapy decreased pain and functional disability in patients with KOA. The therapeutic techniques include therapeutic exercises, electrotherapy, and manual therapy. Several meta-analysis and systematic reviews have evidence of various types of exercises including aerobic and resistance exercises which is effective in reducing pain and functional disabilities in a patient with KOA especially quadriceps muscle strengthening with open and closed chain training. Specific recommendations including physical activity, reducing body weight, reducing sedentary time, and managing diabetes disease can improve function and symptoms of KOA. To improve the individual's function, and reduce pain and disability, several interventions had been investigated to promote physical activity.

Kinesio taping (KT) is a conservative therapeutic technique used for the treatment of several musculoskeletal disorders which has increased attention from physicians and physiotherapists in recent years. KT, first introduced in 1979 in Japan, is used for the treatment and prevention of several sports injuries and several clinical conditions. In 2011, KT is recommended by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) for the treatment of patients with knee OA, and it is commonly used to treat knee OA.

Kinesio taping (KT) is an alternative taping technique which is an elastic woven cotton strip with heat-sensitive acrylic adhesive, a high-stretch elastic adhesive material, it is applied directly to the skin and can be left on the skin for several days due to its strong adherence. The application of KT for four weeks can reduce the pain so the patient can reduce the use pain killers. Kinesio taping (KT) is a low-cost, safe, noninvasive, non-pharmacological method, that has minimal side effects and can be a convenient option for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders such as knee OA.

Interferential current (IFC) is a simple, non-invasive, non-pharmacological, more comfortable treatment used to relieve pain. IFC known as kilohertz-frequency alternating current, which is a pair of signal generators with one fixed frequency of 4000 Hz and the other varying in frequency between 4000 and 4250 Hz. IFC can reduce skin impedance, reach deeper tissue, and can be utilized as an alternative medication or supplement to drugs in treating pain. IFC is the most effective pain relief treatment for the management of KOA.