Papers of the Week

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic debilitating condition that is estimated to affect approximately 12% of the current adult population in the United States, and is associated with severe pain and disability. Among these patients, quadriceps muscle atrophy and concomitant weakness are frequent findings that contribute significantly to the burden of this disease. One emerging method of quadriceps muscle strengthening and rehabilitation in knee OA patients is the use of neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy (NMES). Among the currently available systems for NMES therapy are the mobile health (mHealth) platforms allowing clinicians to monitor patient compliance and utilization trends in addition to capturing certain clinical outcome points. The aim of this study was to analyze data collected by a commercially available mobile-app controlled NMES platform and to examine: (I) utilization trends, (II) range-of-motion (ROM) changes, (III) pain scores, and (IV) patient reported outcome scores in patients who used this device as part of management of their knee OA.