1000 Section - Role of Short Wave Diathermy (SWD) in lumber spondylosis.

Lumbar spondylosis is a common degenerative condition that leads to chronic low back pain,functional impairment. Short wave diathermy (SWD) is widely used adjuncts to conventional treatment, few studies have compared their clinical effectiveness. To evaluate the effectiveness of SWD in reducing pain and disability in patients with lumbar spondylosis. 

Design:

A randomized clinical trial was conducted at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (July 2019–June 2020) with 59 patients (aged 40–60 years) having lumbar spondylosis (pain duration 6–12 weeks, VAS >3 and ≤8). Sample size ensured 80% power (α=0.05) with a 10% dropout allowance. Group A (n=30) received conventional treatment (NSAIDS, muscle relaxants, exercises, lumbar corset, ADL instructions) plus SWD (27.12 mhz, 15 min, 3×/week, 6 weeks). Group B (n=29) received the same treatment except SWD.  One dropout in Group B; compliance >95%. Data were analyzed using t-tests and chi-square tests with 95% confidence intervals.

Results:

Both groups showed significant improvements. In Group A, mean VAS decreased from 6.60 ± 1.03 (95% CI: 6.1–7.1) to 1.30 ± 1.45 (95% CI: 0.7–1.9) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) declined from 29.13 ± 6.58% to 3.53 ± 4.45% at six weeks. In Group B, VAS decreased from 6.63 ± 0.96 to 2.50 ± 1.19 (95% CI: 2.1–2.9) and ODI from 26.93 ± 4.51% to 7.00 ± 4.65%. From week 2 on, there were statistically significant differences between the groups (p < 0.001 for VAS; p < 0.005 for ODI), with Group A demonstrating a roughly 40% higher reduction in pain and impairment. There were no significant adverse effects noted. Although generalizability is limited by the single-center approach, improvements persisted over the six-week follow-up period.

Conclusion:

SWD is significantly more effective in reducing pain and disability in lumbar spondylosis with  achieving a 40% greater improvement. Further multicenter studies with larger samples and extended follow-up are warranted.