To investigate the effects of underwater ultrasound (US) therapy in 48 patients with moderately active rheumatoid arthritis (disease activity score in 28 joints [DAS28]>3.2 and<5.1).
Patients randomly assigned to the ultrasound group (n=25) received underwater continuous ultrasound therapy to both wrists and hands for 7min per session with an intensity of 0.7W/cm
A significant decrease in C-reactive protein at the end of Week 2 and Week 14 compared to control group (mean between-group difference at 2 weeks=-5.77, 95% CI=-10.86 to -0.68, mean between-group difference at 14 weeks=-5.07, 95% CI=-10.13 to -0.01), and non-significant decrease in DAS28 was observed. By the end of treatments at the end of week 2, ultrasound alleviated pain significantly (mean between-group difference at two weeks=-8.35 95% CI=-16.12 to -0.58), as well as improved left wrist extension compared to the control group (mean between-group difference at 14 weeks=4.35, 95% CI=1.09-7.60).
NCT02706028 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02706028).
Underwater ultrasound therapy was better than sham treatment at the end of 2 weeks of treatment, but not at long term (14 weeks) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.