Diagnostic and therapeutic variables in athletes with knee synovitis: statistical correlation

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to use the statistics to know the correlation degree among clinical, ultrasound and therapeutic effectiveness variables in knee post-traumatic synovitis athletes during the application of conventional treatment and the extremely low frequency-electromagnetic field at 60 Hz. Post-traumatic knee synovitis is a common injury in athletes. The variables age, gender, initial and final physical examinations, initial and final knee ultrasounds, initial and final Visual Analog Scales, ranges of the initial and final Visual Analog Scales, index of analgesic effectiveness and treatment patient response were used. Rho Spearman and eta coefficients were used to know linear and non-linear correlation degrees among variables above-mentioned, respectively. It was confirmed the good correspondence of the statistical analysis with the findings revealed in the physical examination, ultrasound, effectiveness of each one of these two therapies and the response of each athlete to both treatments. It is concluded that the results of the statistical analysis confirm those reported in clinic and suggest the need for the athlete integrated assessment, taking in account clinical, imaging, statistical and therapeutic (mainly the physics type, as ELF-EMF to 60 Hz) variables.