OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous electrical stimulation in the modulation of pain and its implication in the function of patients with a painful knee condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search was conducted from database inception to September 2023 across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Randomized controlled trials were included. Two reviewers performed independent data extraction and methodologic quality assessment of the studies. Study quality was assessed using the physiotherapy evidence database Scale and the risk of bias was evaluated with the Cochrane Assessment tool. RESULTS: Eight studies were included. A significant statistical effect was found (p < 0.001) for reducing pain and improving function after treatment. In addition, a significant statistical effects were identified for reducing pain (p = 0.009) and improving function (p < 0.001) after follow-up. The risk of bias was low. CONCLUSION: This review showed a positive effect of applying the percutaneous electrical stimulation for reducing pain and improving function in adults with a painful knee.

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