Somatosensory Electrical Stimulation Does Not Improve Motor Coordination in Patients with Unilateral Knee Osteoarthritis.

ABSTRACT: Non-surgical treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is often focused on the motor component of KOA even though there is evidence that sensory dysfunctions play an important role in the impaired control of the affected joint. Excitation of sensory afferents can increase motor function by exploiting the nervous system's ability to adapt to changing environments (i.e., neuronal plasticity). Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the acute effects of a single session (30 min) of sensory intervention targeting neuronal plasticity using low-frequency (10 Hz) somatosensory electrical stimulation (SES) of the femoral nerve. We evaluated the effects of SES on the position and force control of the affected knee and self-reported pain in KOA patients (n = 14) in a sham-controlled randomized

SUBMITTER: Veldman MP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6406642 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature