Tecar Therapy in Chronic Knee Osteoarthritis

NCT07438392 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: AhiEvranU-FTR-NK-Tecar
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 60
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study aimed to investigate the effects of Tecar therapy on pain, physical function, and physical capacity in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis.

Conditions

Osteearthritis

Keywords

osteoarthritis; Radiofrequency Therapy; Pain; Physical Functional Performance

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Visual Analog Scale

  VAS is a pain rating scale with numbers 0 and 10. Here 0 means 'no pain' and 10 means 'unbearable pain'. The participant will rate the pain according to the scale. Patients' night, rest and activity pain will be evaluated separately.

  baseline, 3th week, 12th week

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• WOMAC

  baseline, 3th week, 12th week

• The 6-minute walk test (6MWT)

  baseline, 3th week, 12th week

Study Arms (3)

Tecar theraphy

EXPERIMENTAL

Conventional physical therapy and Tecar therapy: Conventional physiotherapy will include 15 sessions of TENS (100 Hz frequency, 10-30 mA intensity) and Hotpack therapy for all groups, 5 sessions per week over 3 weeks. A heating pad will be applied to the painful knee area for 20 minutes to provide superficial heat, followed by 20 minutes of TENS at 100 Hz using an HP or Chattanooga device. Simultaneously, all groups will receive knee isometric and Theraband exercise therapy under the supervision of a physiotherapist. This group will also receive TECAR therapy three times a week for three weeks, a total of nine sessions, at 0.5 MHz frequency, in a 5 min CAP + 10 min RES + 5 min CAP mode, administered by an experienced physiotherapist.

Other: Tecar Therapy; Other: conventional physical therapy

Sham tecar theraphy

EXPERIMENTAL

Conventional physical therapy and sham Tecar therapy: Conventional physiotherapy will include 15 sessions of TENS (100 Hz frequency, 10-30 mA intensity) and Hotpack therapy for all groups, 5 sessions per week over 3 weeks. A heating pad will be applied to the painful knee area for 20 minutes to provide superficial heat, followed by 20 minutes of TENS at 100 Hz using an HP or Chattanooga device. Simultaneously, all groups will receive knee isometric and Theraband exercise therapy under the supervision of a physiotherapist. This group will also receive TECAR sham therapy three times a week for three weeks, a total of nine sessions, at 0.5 MHz frequency, in a 5 min CAP + 10 min RES + 5 min CAP mode, administered by an experienced physiotherapist. The gel will be applied before the device is activated.

Other: ShamTecar Therapy; Other: conventional physical therapy

conventional physiotherapy

EXPERIMENTAL

Conventional FTR: Conventional physical therapy will include 15 sessions of TENS (100 Hz frequency, 10-30 mA intensity) and Hotpack therapy for all groups, 5 sessions per week over 3 weeks. A heating pad will be applied to the painful knee area for 20 minutes to provide superficial heat, followed by 20 minutes of TENS at 100 Hz using an HP or Chattanooga device. Simultaneously, all groups will receive knee isometric and Theraband exercise therapy under the supervision of a physiotherapist.

Other: conventional physical therapy

Interventions

Tecar Therapy OTHER

Tecar Therapy and conventional physical therapy

Tecar theraphy

ShamTecar Therapy OTHER

ShamTecar Therapy and conventional physical therapy

Sham tecar theraphy

conventional physical therapy OTHER

conventional physical therapy

Sham tecar theraphy; Tecar theraphy; conventional physiotherapy

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 40 Years - 75 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Patients with Kellgren-Lawrence stage 2 or 3 knee osteoarthritis
• Patients with bilateral knee pain for at least 6 weeks
• Male and female patients aged 40-75
• Patients who accept and sign the informed consent form

You may not qualify if:

• Those who have received physical therapy for knee pain in the last 6 months
• Those who have received intraarticular injection treatments such as hyaluronic acid, PRP, or steroids for knee pain in the last 6 months
• Those who have undergone knee surgery for any reason
• Those with inflammatory arthritis
• Those with existing neurological, cognitive, or psychiatric disorders
• Those with pacemakers
• Those with a history of malignancy
• Those with local vascular or sensory impairment
• Those with local or systemic infections
• Those with open wounds on the skin
• Pregnant or breastfeeding

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Kirsehir Ahi Evran Universitesi: lead

Study Sites (1)

Kırşehir Ahi Evran Üniversitesi

Kırşehir, Kırşehir, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Coccetta CA, Sale P, Ferrara PE, Specchia A, Maccauro G, Ferriero G, Ronconi G. Effects of capacitive and resistive electric transfer therapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. Int J Rehabil Res. 2019 Jun;42(2):106-111. doi: 10.1097/MRR.0000000000000324.

  PMID: 30362981 BACKGROUND

• Elboim-Gabyzon M, Nahhas F. Laser therapy versus pulsed electromagnetic field therapy as treatment modalities for early knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Geriatr. 2023 Mar 16;23(1):144. doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03568-5.

  PMID: 36922781 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Osteoarthritis; Pain

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Arthritis; Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

Nazife K Kapan Tunçer, Asst. Prof.

CONTACT

+90 5555839701; nazifekapan@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Asst. Prof.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 23, 2026
• First Posted: February 27, 2026
• Study Start: April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Last Updated: March 2, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-02

Locations

TU (1)