The micro-current stimulation of knee acupoints in management of chondromalacia patella: a case report.
Yiu Ming Wong, Shinji Suzuki, Kouhei Odagiri
PMID 33281295WHAT IT FOUND
One policeman with knee cartilage damage reported zero pain after four weeks of micro-current stimulation.
He also used a silicone ring and taping during training. The case cannot prove the stimulation alone caused the improvement.
Key findings
01Pain scores dropped to zero for both squatting and kneeling after four weeks of treatment.
02Post-treatment MRI showed the sign of grade I chondromalacia patella had disappeared.
03The patient received micro-current stimulation and a silicone patellar ring with taping simultaneously, making it impossible to separate the effect of the stimulation from the ring.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study reports on a single individual, so the results cannot be generalized to other patients with chondromalacia patella. Two interventions (micro-current stimulation and a silicone patellar ring with taping) were used concurrently, meaning the specific contribution of the electrical stimulation cannot be isolated. There was no control group or comparison treatment, so the natural course of the injury or placebo effects cannot be ruled out. The MRI finding of 'disappeared' signs may reflect resolution of swelling rather than true cartilage repair, given the known slow healing rate of avascular cartilage mentioned in the discussion.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the micro-current stimulation alone cured the cartilage damage. The patient also used a silicone ring and taping to offload the knee during the same period, and the study did not separate these effects.