Serial WOMAC Score Assessment after Radiofrequency Genicular Nerve Ablation or Intra-articular Botox in Osteoarthritic Patients | ||
| Journal of Current Medical Research and Practice | ||
| Volume 10, Issue 4, October 2025, Pages 11-16 PDF (265.44 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jcmrp.2024.300306.1080 | ||
| Authors | ||
| Taysser M . Khidre; Rania M. Gamal; Manal Mohamed Hassanien; Neven Talat Marey* | ||
| Department of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Background and Aim: Chronic osteoarthritis is a disabling, progressive disease. Most of the measures have modest efficacy. Botulinum toxin is a promising modality owing to its potential anti-inflammatory actions. The study aimed to monitor the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) in the population with severe osteoarthritis; the secondary outcome included visual analogue scale (VAS) and possible complications. Patients and Methods: Fifty-two patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee joints who fulfilled the revised ACR criteria 2016 were enrolled into two equally assigned groups. Group RF involved 26 patients who received fluoroscopically guided genicular nerve ablation, while the BX group involved intra-articular injection of botulinum toxin type A. All patients with OA knees presented with knee pain and were classified into stage 3 or 4 according to the Kellgren Lawrence classification. Previous Knee surgery, knee effusion, intra-articular knee injection in the preceding 3 months, or coagulopathy, systemic connective tissue disorder were excluded from the study. Results: Regarding WOMAC for pain, at the 1st and 3rd months of treatment, patients who received Botox injection recorded significantly lower WOMAC scores for pain compared to patients who received Radio-frequency waves. WOMAC score for stiffness revealed a significant difference between the studied groups at 3rd and 6th months post-procedure. The Botox group recorded significantly lower WOMAC scores for stiffness than the radio-frequency group. Pre-treatment and 1-month values are comparable between the studied groups. Conclusion: Intra-articular Botox was more impactful than radiofrequency ablation of the genicular nerves in the context of pain alleviation and stiffness improvement. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Radiofrequency; Osteoarthritis; Genicular nerve ablation | ||
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