ABSTRACT Objective
Gouty arthritis is characterized by painful
inflammation due to the deposition of
monosodium urate crystals in
joint tissues. Despite available
treatments, many
patients experience ineffective management and
adverse effects. This study evaluated a
manual therapy protocol involving passive
joint mobilization at the peak of
inflammation in a
gouty arthritis model using functional and inflammatory
parameters.
Methods Twenty
male Wistar rats, 12 weeks old, were divided into two groups (n=10 each)
Gouty Arthritis and
Control Groups, which were further subdivided into treated and untreated groups (n=5 each). The
Gouty Arthritis Group received intraarticular
knee injection of 50µL of
monosodium urate crystals, while the
Control Group received 50µL of
phosphate buffered saline. The
treatment involved a 9-minutes session of grade III
joint mobilization (according to Maitland).
Nociception,
grip strength, and
edema were evaluated before induction (EV0), 7 hours after assessment (EV1), immediately
after treatment (EV2), and 1 hour
after treatment (EV3). The
animals were euthanized, and
synovial fluid was collected to analyze
leukocyte migration. Results The model mimicked the signs of the
Gouty Arthritis Group, with a decrease in the threshold of
nociception and strength and an increase in
edema and
leukocyte count. The mobilization protocol significantly increased the nociceptive threshold and
grip strength and reduced
edema; however, it did not reverse the increase in
leukocyte count. Conclusion Our results suggest that mobilization promotes
analgesia and may modulate the inflammatory process owing to reduced
edema and subtle attenuation of
cell migration, which contributes to strength gain.