Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of patients
| Variables | TENS (n = 19) | IFC (n = 18) | Placebo TENS (n = 18) | Placebo IFC (n = 18) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (yr) | 58.50 ± 9.80 | 61.95 ± 11.78 | 56.05 ± 9.45 | 54.00 ± 8.79 | 0.081 |
| Sex | 0.965 | ||||
| Female | 85.0 | 80.0 | 85.0 | 85.0 | |
| Male | 15.0 | 20.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 30.33 ± 6.62 | 31.43 ± 3.51 | 29.34 ± 4.57 | 31.20 ± 3.74 | 0.495 |
| Education status | 0.470 | ||||
| Illiterate | 40.0 | 25.0 | 10.0 | 15.0 | |
| Primaryeducation | 25.0 | 60.0 | 65.0 | 75.0 | |
| High school | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | |
| University | 25.0 | 5.0 | 15.0 | 0.0 | |
| Comorbidities | 65.0 | 75.0 | 75.0 | 65.0 | 0.813 |
| VAS | 7.80 ± 1.39 | 7.65 ± 1.22 | 7.90 ± 1.71 | 7.60 ± 1.60 | 0.913 |
| WOMAC | 58.82 ± 15.26 | 57.09 ± 9.65 | 57.09 ± 20.55 | 52.01 ± 18.09 | 0.708 |
| PCS | 19.15 ± 17.40 | 20.85 ± 10.83 | 23.41 ± 6.21 | 22.10 ± 12.99 | 0.820 |
| TUG | 11.00 ± 3.65 | 10.47 ± 2.10 | 10.35 ± 4.01 | 8.95 ± 1.67 | 0.181 |
| BDI | 10.25 ± 7.95 | 9.45 ± 6.00 | 9.40 ± 5.75 | 9.75 ± 9.79 | 0.984 |
| TSK | 38.30 ± 4.96 | 32.30 ± 8.47 | 33.95 ± 8.48 | 37.85 ± 5.68 | 0.054 |
| PPT. Knee (kg/cm2) | 6.36 ± 1.49 | 6.83 ± 1.85 | 6.65 ± 2.19 | 7.56 ± 1.97 | 0.233 |
| PPT. Shoulder (kg/cm2) | 5.42 ± 1.41 | 6.20 ± 1.79 | 5.40 ± 1.34 | 6.58 ± 2.09 | 0.073 |
| KL | 0.821 | ||||
| KL 2 | 47.0 | 55.0 | 45.0 | 58.0 | |
| KL 3 | 53.0 | 45.0 | 55.0 | 42.0 |
Values are presented as % or mean ± standard deviation.
n: number of patients, TENS: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, IFC: interferential current, BMI: body mass index, VAS: visual analog scale (0–10), WOMAC: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, PCS: pain catastrophizing scale, TUG: Timed Up and Go test, BDI: Beck Depression Inventory, TSK: Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, PPT: pressure pain threshold (kg/cm2), KL: Kellgren–Lawrence radiological scoring system.