A Clinical Study on the Efficacy and Tolerability of the Ultrasonic Therapy by Using Ultrasonic Machines of the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research

Abstract

Objective: To examine the efficacy and tolerability of the ultrasonic (US) therapy by using the ultrasonic machines produced by the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR).

Methods: Patients diagnosed with chronic musculo-tendinous pain were recruited from the outpatient clinic of Siriraj Hospital. Data from group 1 patients treated with the 4 TISTR-US developed machines were examined and compared with those from group 2 patients treated with a standardized and imported US machine. The self-reported levels of pain which are sought through use of visual analog scales (VAS) with pressure algometry before and after an 8-week course of treatment were obtained. Comparison was made between the groups, by using analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA, pre-and post-therapeutically as covariates).

Results: A total of 49 patients, aged 45.4 ± 15.8 years, participated. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in the proportions of females, the proportion of muscular lesions, the proportion of elderly, the proportion of cases presenting with severe pain, the mean age, and the mean VAS. However, there were significantly lesser amounts of treatments (8.7 ± 4.0 vs. 11.3 ± 2.5 times, p = 0.002) in group 2 than group 1. After treatment, there were significant decreases of the mean VAS in both groups (4.4 ± 1.5 vs. 3.4 ± 1.5 for group 1 and 4.7 ± 1.8 vs. 3.3 ± 1.8 for group 2, respectively) (p < 0.001 for both groups). No significant differences were observed between the groups in the posttherapeutic VAS (3.4 ± 1.5 vs. 3.3 ± 1.8, p = 0.90). No side effects were reported.

Conclusion: Using of the TISTR-US developed machines in relieving patientsû pain is clinically effective and tolerable.