Wong Yiu Ming, Suzuki Shinji, Odagiri Kouhei
Health Science Unit, Hong Kong Physically Handicapped & Able Bodied Association: S102, G/F, Lai Lo House, Lai Kok Estate, Shamshuipo, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Okinawa College of Integrative Medicine, Japan.
J Phys Ther Sci. 2020 Nov;32(11):772-774. doi: 10.1589/jpts.32.772. Epub 2020 Nov 11.
[Purpose] A case report in which we treated injured patellar cartilage using non-invasive electrical stimulation; we also used MRI to document the morphology of the patellar cartilage before and after the treatment. [Participant and Methods] A police officer suffered from right anterior knee pain that noticeably affected his firearms marksmanship in kneeling position. After a MRI scan he was diagnosed with grade I chondromalacia patella involving the lateral patellar facet. He received therapeutic electrical stimulation on right knee acupoints for four weeks. [Results] He responded positively to the treatment and his numerical rating scale reduced from 6 to 0 for the right knee pain. The MRI revealed that the signs of grade I chondromalacia patella disappeared. [Conclusion] The patellar cartilage is largely avascular; the chondrocytes in cartilage have a low metabolic rate due to limited nutrient supply. Mild cartilage repair may occur spontaneously but is undoubtedly slow. Although this is a case report, we believe that the micro-current stimulation may help enhance the local metabolism and repair process in the affected cartilage.
[目的] 本病例报告介绍了我们使用非侵入性电刺激治疗髌软骨损伤的情况；我们还利用磁共振成像（MRI）记录了治疗前后髌软骨的形态。[参与者与方法] 一名警官右膝前部疼痛，这明显影响了他跪姿射击的枪法。经MRI扫描后，他被诊断为I级髌骨软化症，累及髌外侧小面。他接受了为期四周的右膝穴位治疗性电刺激。[结果] 他对治疗反应良好，右膝疼痛的数字评分量表从6降至0。MRI显示I级髌骨软化症的体征消失。[结论] 髌软骨大部分无血管；由于营养供应有限，软骨中的软骨细胞代谢率较低。轻度软骨修复可能会自发发生，但无疑很缓慢。虽然这是一例病例报告，但我们认为微电流刺激可能有助于增强受影响软骨的局部代谢和修复过程。
