BACKGROUND: Ultrasound combined with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (UltraTENS) and phonophoresis of piroxicam (PhP) are combined modality therapy that frequently used in musculoskeletal pain including knee osteoarthritis (OA). But it is lack of a good clinical trial to prove and compare their effects. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of UltraTENS with PhP on mild to moderate degree of symptomatic knee OA. METHODS: Sixty-one patients (55 women), mean age of 63.4 +/- 8.1 y, 50 to 90 mm VAS of knee pain and Kellgren-Lawrence score of grade I to III were randomly allocated into UltraTENS and PhP (n = 31 and 30, respectively). The UltraTENS group received a combined ultrasound with TENS program and a non-drug gel, whereas the PhP group got an ultrasound program with piroxicam gel and sham TENS. All patients were treated for a total of 10 sessions, consisting of five times per week and 10 min per session. Before and after treatment, patients were evaluated knee pain by using the 100-mm VAS and functional performance by Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) index. RESULTS: The UltraTENS and PhP groups experienced considerable improvement in both VAS and total WOMAC scores post-treatment (p < 0.001). The PhP had better VAS of pain and WOMAC scores but no statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that UltraTENS and PhP were effective for relieving pain and improve functionality knee OA without significant differences between their effects.

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