Abstract
PURPOSE: To determine the pattern changes over time in patients who experience different effects on the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Patella score (VISA-P), International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Kujala score and Tegner activity score following 3 years of follow-up after an ultrasound-guided galvanic electrolysis technique (USGET) intervention in patellar tendinopathy. METHODS: Fifty-one adult patients with patellar tendinopathy were followed for 3 years after undergoing USGET. Clinical evaluations were conducted at baseline, 3-, 6-, 12-, 24- and 36-month postintervention, evaluating the VISA-P, IKDC, Kujala score and Tegner activity score. The intervention was applied bimonthly for 3 months, accompanied by a biweekly standardised therapeutic exercises routine. Clinical outcomes were analysed with latent growth linear modelling (α = 5%), which assesses individual trajectories of change over time, capturing both initial status (intercepts) and rate of change (slopes) while accounting for variability across subjects. RESULTS: The mean intercepts were 58.9 pts (95% confidence interval [CI]: 55.2-67.8 pts, p < 0.001), 60.0 pts (95% CI: 56.7-64.0 pts, p < 0.001), 60.9 pts (95% CI: 55.8-65.4 pts, p < 0.001) and 3.6 pts (95% CI: 2.9-5.3 pts, p < 0.001) for VISA-P, IKDC, Kujala and Tegner activity score, respectively. The mean slopes were 6.3 pts (95% CI: 3.9-7.4 pts, p < 0.001), 5.7 pts (95% CI: 4.6-6.9 pts, p < 0.001), 5.1 pts (95% CI: 4.1-6.6 pts, p < 0.001) and 0.6 pts (95% CI: 0.4-1.0 pts, p < 0.001) for the VISA-P, IKDC, Kujala and Tegner activity score, respectively. CONCLUSION: USGET treatment demonstrates functionality restoration and pain decrease over time. The inflection point of clinical improvement was at 6 months, followed by a steady phase. There were positive patterns of increase in the linear slopes for VISA-P, IKDC, Kujala score and Tegner activity score observed in latent growth linear modelling. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, case series with no comparison group.