무릎 골관절염 환자에서 중첩된 신경근 전기 자극의 효과에 대한 조사.

Demographic and medical information of the patients (age, gender, height and body weight, occupation, educational status, CV, family history and surgical history, medical history related to knee osteoarthritis) and pain level will be questioned. Conventional physiotherapy modalities will be applied in the group; exercise training, hotpack, ultrasound and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Patients will be treated for one hour, three days a week, for eight weeks.

The physical functions, muscle structure and knee joint cartilage thickness, quality of life and functional status of the patients will be evaluated before and after treatment.

Conventional physiotherapy is a treatment method that includes exercise training, hotpack, ultrasound and TENS (electrotherapy) applications.

Demographic and medical information of the patients (age, gender, height and body weight, occupation, educational status, CV, family history and surgical history, medical history related to knee osteoarthritis) and pain level will be questioned. In addition to conventional physiotherapy methods, passive NMES treatment will be applied in the group.Patients will be treated for one hour, three days a week, for eight weeks.

The physical functions, muscle structure and knee joint cartilage thickness, quality of life and functional status of the patients will be evaluated before and after treatment.

Conventional physiotherapy is a treatment method that includes exercise training, hotpack, ultrasound and TENS (electrotherapy) applications.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) is a non-invasive method that activates intramuscular nerve branches and produces visible contractions through surface electrodes placed on skeletal muscles.

Demographic and medical information of the patients (age, gender, height and body weight, occupation, educational status, CV, family history and surgical history, medical history related to knee osteoarthritis) and pain level will be questioned. In addition to conventional physiotherapy methods, superimposed NMES treatment will be applied in the group. Patients will be treated for one hour, three days a week, for eight weeks.

The physical functions, muscle structure and knee joint cartilage thickness, quality of life and functional status of the patients will be evaluated before and after treatment.

Conventional physiotherapy is a treatment method that includes exercise training, hotpack, ultrasound and TENS (electrotherapy) applications.

Superimposed NMES technique is the use of NMES with voluntary muscle contraction.

The muscle strength of the participants will be evaluated with a hand dynamometer. Before the measurements, participants will be placed in a sitting position on the bed with hips and knees flexed at 90º, feet free, arms crossed over the chest and without support. For the test, the participant will be asked to do maximum knee extension and at the last point, resistance will be given to disrupt the position with a hand dynamometer. When the test position is disrupted, the score seen on the dynamometer screen will be recorded.

The position sense of the knee joint will be evaluated with a digital inclinometer. Digital inclinometer is a motion-sensitive protractor. The test will be performed while the participants are in a prone position. Before the test, participants will be taught the target angle (20 degrees of flexion), and then they will be asked to reach this target angle again with their eyes closed. The amount of deviation from the target angle will be recorded as a score.

Quadriceps muscle structure and knee joint cartilage structure will be evaluated with an ultrasonography device. Measurements will be taken from four sections of the quadriceps femoris muscle while the participants are at rest in the supine position. The measurement level will be determined as 50% of the femur length (the distance between the major trochanter and the lateral condyle). Muscle thicknesses will be determined by measuring the distance between the superficial and deep aponeurosis. The pennate angle will be calculated as the angle formed at the attachment point (insertion) of the muscle fascicles to the deep aponeurosis. Cartilage thickness will be measured at maximal knee flexion, in three regions: lateral, medial, and intercondylar.

Flexion and extension range of motion of the knee joint will be measured in degrees in the prone position using a goniometer. For measurement, the pivot point of the goniometer will be placed on the lateral condyle of the femur, its fixed arm will be placed on the lateral midline of the femur, and the movable arm of the goniometer will follow the fibula. The participant will be asked to actively bend and extend his knee and the final point value will be recorded as angle.

Participants' quality of life will be evaluated with Short Form-36. This scale is a 36-item survey that questions the individual's quality of life, considering the last 4 weeks. It has eight sections: vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general health perceptions, physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning, mental health, emotional wellbeing

The functional status of the participants will be measured using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index Scale (WOMAC) scale. The scale, which consists of 24 questions, has 3 subsections: pain, stiffness and function. Higher scores indicate more severe symptoms, greater disability, and poorer health status.

VAS is a horizontal line of 10 centimeters and the beginning of the line means no pain and the end of the line means unbearable pain. Participants will be asked to make a mark based on the pain they feel (9).

Balance will be evaluated with the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS). This test is a short, easily administered static balance test. The test will be performed for 20 seconds in three different positions (double leg, single leg, tandem) on firm and foam surfaces. The number of balance deviations that occur in the participants during the test will be recorded as a score. High deviation score indicates more balance disorder.

The 30-Second Chair Stand Test will be performed for functional capacity assessment. For this test, the participant will be seated in a chair without armrests and asked to sit and stand as much as possible for 30 seconds. The total number will be recorded