Comparison of the Effectiveness of High-Intensity and Low-Intensity Laser Therapies in Primary Knee Osteoarthritis

In the clinical evaluation, the range of motion of the patients in the affected extremity was determined by goniometry

In the clinical evaluation, the pain score with movement and resting was determined by visual pain score (VAS).The visual analog scale (VAS) is a validated, subjective measure for acute and chronic pain. Scores are recorded by making a handwritten mark on a 10-cm line that represents a continuum between "no pain" and "worst pain.

Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) index is the most common used clinical tools for evaluating patients with knee OA.It is consisted of 33 items which evaluates the health and function of the patient from various aspects including: clinical symptoms (5 questions), severity of joint stiffness (2 questions), degree of pain (9 questions), and activity of daily living (17 questions).

Each question has five subscales where best situation scores as never or none and the worst one names as extreme or always. Here, higher scores are representative of better situation and less pain.

The Lequesne index has an interview format questionnaire, including 10 questions divided into three sections regarding pain, maximum distance walked and activities of daily living . The score ranges from 0 (no pain, no disability) to 24 (maximum pain and disability

The SF-36 includes one multi-item scale that assesses eight health concepts: 1) limitations in physical activities because of health problems; 2) limitations in social activities because of physical or emotional problems; 3) limitations in usual role activities because of physical health problems; 4) bodily pain; 5) general mental health (psychological distress and well-being); 6) limitations in usual role activities because of emotional problems; 7) vitality (energy and fatigue); and 8) general health perceptions.

The femoral cartilage thickness measurements of the patients participating in the study were performed using a Logiq 9 (GE Medical Systems®) ultrasound device with a linear probe (7-12 MHz, "ZONARE"). The ultrasonographic measurement was performed in the supine position of the patient, with the knee in maximum flexion, at three different locations: the medial femoral intercondylar region, the median intercondylar region, and the lateral femoral intercondylar region. The probe was placed transversely on the thigh, perpendicular to the bone surface, immediately above the superior corner of the patella. The cartilage thickness was calculated by measuring the hypoechoic distance between the two hyperechoic lines: one showing the soft tissue-cartilage surface and the other showing the cartilage-bone surface. Three measurements were taken for each knee, and the average was calculated.