Effect of TECAR Therapy on Pain, Balance, and Quality of Life in Elderly Men With Knee Osteoarthritis

Effect of TECAR Therapy on Pain, Balance, and Quality of Life in Elderly Men With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Evaluate the effect of TECAR therapy combined with traditional physiotherapy on pain, balance, and quality of life in elderly men with knee osteoarthritis .

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Knee Osteoarthritis
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: True TECAR Therapy; Other: Traditional Physiotherapy; Device: Sham TECAR

Detailed Description

Eighty elderly men diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis will be recruited from physical therapy and orthopedic outpatient clinics. Following a baseline screening, patients will be randomly assigned into two parallel groups:

The Study Group: Will include 40 men participating in true TECAR therapy plus a standardized traditional physiotherapy program for 8 weeks.

The Control Group: Will include 40 men participating in sham TECAR therapy plus the same traditional physiotherapy program for 8 weeks.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 80
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Saher Lotfy Elgayar, Ph.D; Phone Number: +201020429911; Email: saherlotfy020@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Clinical and radiographic diagnosis of mild and moderate bilateral or unilateral knee osteoarthritis meeting the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria.
• Presence of chronic knee pain lasting for more than 6 months.
• Ability to ambulate independently with or without an assistive device.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe knee osteoarthritis (grade IV) requiring imminent surgical joint replacement.
• History of previous knee arthroplasty, internal fixation, or significant trauma to the affected lower extremity.
• Presence of pacemakers, metallic implants in the knee region, or severe. - peripheral vascular disease (absolute contraindications for TECAR therapy).
• Intra-articular injections (corticosteroids, platelet-rich plasma, or hyaluronic acid) into the knee within the past 3 months.
• Cognitive impairment or systemic inflammatory conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Study group; 40 elderly men with knee osteoarthritis who will receive TECAR therapy combined with a traditional physiotherapy program for 8 weeks	Device: True TECAR Therapy; 20 minutes per session (10 mins capacitive mode, 10 mins resistive mode), 3 sessions per week for 8 weeks will be applied around the affected knee joint. Thermal delivery will be adjusted to a comfortable, non-painful warm sensation; Other: Traditional Physiotherapy; Standardized knee osteoarthritis rehabilitation including progressive quad/hamstring strengthening, hip abductor strengthening, range of motion exercises, and flexibility training
Sham Comparator: Control group; Will include 40 men participating in sham TECAR therapy plus the same traditional physiotherapy program for 8 weeks	Other: Traditional Physiotherapy; Standardized knee osteoarthritis rehabilitation including progressive quad/hamstring strengthening, hip abductor strengthening, range of motion exercises, and flexibility training; Device: Sham TECAR; The device will be applied using identical electrode placement, application time, and interface screen indicators, but with the power output disabled so that no current or deep thermal energy is transferred to the tissues.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain Intensity	Visual Analog Scale will be used to assess pain intensity	Baseline and after 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Balance	Berg Balance Scale will be used to assess balance	Baseline and after 8 weeks
Health-Related Quality of Life	Short Form-12 Health Survey (SF-12) will be used to assess quality of life	Baseline and after 8 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Middle East University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): June 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 15, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 18, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 2, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Musculoskeletal Diseases; Arthritis; Joint Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis, Knee
• Other Study ID Numbers: TECAR therapy on Arthritis

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No