Efficacy of therapeutic ultrasound vs sham ultrasound on pain and physical function in people with knee osteoarthritis: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Figure 1 Flow diagram for identification of eligible trials evaluating the effect of ultrasound vs sham on pain and physical function.

Figure 2 Funnel plot illustrating the statistical precision plotted as a function of the standardized mean difference for the effect of therapeutic ultrasound on patient-reported knee pain. Statistical inferences are not possible when fewer than 10 trials are available; therefore the pseudo 95% confidence limits around the summary treatment effect are not shown. SMD: Standardized mean difference.

Figure 3 Forest plot. A: For meta-analysis of the effect of ultrasound (US) compared to sham on pain; B: For trials reporting the pain outcome subgrouped according to US dose; C: For meta-analysis of the effect of US compared to sham treatment on self-reported physical function; D: For meta-analysis of the effect of US compared to sham treatment on walking performance; E: For trials reporting a walking performance outcome subgrouped according to US dose.