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Knee Pain: What Causes It, the Biophysics of Relief, and the Mesoform Therapeutic Treatment Protocol

Knee pain is one of the most common reasons people move less and feel worse overall. It can come from wear and tear on the cartilage (osteoarthritis, patellar chondromalacia), inflammation (synovitis, bursitis, pes anserine tendinitis), or an old ligament injury that never quite healed. The trouble with the usual treatments is that topical creams barely get through the skin, while oral NSAIDs strong enough to help can be hard on your stomach and heart. The Mesoform Therapeutic device takes a different approach: a directed electrical current and therapeutic iontophoresis carry the active ingredient straight through the skin's natural barrier to the joint capsule and surrounding tissue — bypassing the digestive system entirely.

Local iontophoresis of the knee joint using the Mesoform Therapeutic device for knee pain and arthrosis

1. How It Works: The Biophysics and Neurophysiology Behind Pain Relief

Mesoform Therapeutic relieves knee pain through three processes working together:

  • Blocking pain signals (Melzack and Wall's "gate control" theory). A precisely modulated current stimulates thick, myelinated A-beta nerve fibers, which effectively "close the gate" on pain signals traveling through thinner C-fibers at the spinal cord. The result is fast pain relief without medication.

  • Draining lymph and reducing swelling around the joint. Low-frequency current improves lymphatic tone and microcirculation in the synovial membrane, helping clear out inflammatory mediators like prostaglandins, bradykinin, and interleukins faster.

  • Boosting cellular metabolism. Currents within the body's own physiological range can raise intracellular ATP levels by up to 500% and improve amino acid transport across cell membranes — exactly what cartilage cells and ligament fibers need to repair themselves.

2. Local Iontophoresis: Delivering the Drug Right Where It's Needed

The skin and connective tissue around the knee form a strong electrical barrier. Mesoform Therapeutic pushes charged drug molecules deeper into the tissue using electrorepulsion (like charges repelling each other) and electro-osmotic flow.

This creates a kind of tissue "reservoir" in the treated area, which keeps slowly releasing the medication into the joint capsule and ligaments for 24 to 72 hours after the session ends.

3. Choosing the Right Drug, Polarity, and Treatment Goal

Clinical Situation / Goal

  • Acute pain, swelling, bursitis, synovitis

Drug / Active Ingredient

  • Dexamethasone / Hydrocortisone

Рабочий электрод

  • Cathode (–)

Therapeutic Effect

  • Strong local anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling effect

Clinical Situation / Goal

  • Chronic pain, muscle spasm

Drug / Active Ingredient

  • Novocaine (1–2%) / Lidocaine

Рабочий электрод

  • Anode (+)

Therapeutic Effect

  • Local anesthesia, breaks the reflexive pain cycle

Clinical Situation / Goal

  • Grade I–III knee osteoarthritis, cartilage breakdown

Drug / Active Ingredient

  • Chondroitin sulfate / Glucosamine

Рабочий электрод

  • Cathode (–) / Anode (+)

Therapeutic Effect

  • Supports proteoglycan synthesis, protects cartilage matrix

Clinical Situation / Goal

  • Stiffness, contractures, scar tissue

Drug / Active Ingredient

  • Bischofite / Potassium iodide

Рабочий электрод

  • Cathode (–)

Therapeutic Effect

  • Helps break down scar tissue, improves ligament flexibility

Clinical Situation / Goal

  • Poor tissue perfusion, ischemia

Drug / Active Ingredient

  • Nicotinic acid (niacin)

Рабочий электрод

  • Anode (+)

Therapeutic Effect

  • Widens blood vessels, boosts collateral circulation

4. Clinical Treatment Protocol for the Mesoform Therapeutic Device

  • Preparing the joint area. The patient lies down or sits with a bolster under the knee (15–20° of flexion to relax the joint capsule). The skin is cleaned and degreased with a neutral antiseptic.

  • Applying the solution. An ionized therapeutic gel or solution is applied directly to the skin over the knee, or to the moist conductive pad of the applicator.

  • Setting the polarity. The device is set to the polarity that matches the chosen drug. The passive electrode is placed on the opposite side of the joint, or on the thigh/calf muscles with a damp cloth underneath.

Treatment zones:

  • Around the kneecap — circular and semi-circular movements around the patella, targeting the upper and lower recesses of the synovial bursa.

  • The collateral ligaments — movements along the medial and lateral sides of the knee.

  • The pes anserinus insertion point — targeted application to the inner shin, just below the joint line.

  • Adjusting current intensity. Current is increased gradually until the patient feels a pleasant, distinct tingling — never pain or a burning sensation (current density of 0.05–0.15 mA/cm²). Each session lasts 15–25 minutes.

  • Finishing the session. Current is lowered gradually to zero, the skin is cleaned, and a protective or healing product is applied.

5. What to Know Before You Start

  • Recent injury (first 24–48 hours). If a ligament tear or hemarthrosis (blood in the joint) is suspected, treatment should only begin after a specialist has examined the knee. During the first two days, heat and intensive vascular settings are off-limits — only low-intensity, anti-swelling microcurrent programs are used.

  • Joint implants and metal hardware. If the patient has a knee implant, the current path needs to be planned individually — running current straight across a dense metal implant isn't recommended, so a lengthwise path through the muscles is preferred instead. More about rehabilitation

FAQ

See the full technical specifications of the Mesoform Therapeutic device.

6. References

  • Melzack, R., & Wall, P. D. (1965). Pain mechanisms: a new theory. Science, 150(3699), 971–979.

  • Cheng, N., et al. (1982). The effects of electric currents on ATP generation, protein synthesis, and amino acid transport in rat skin. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, (171), 264–272.

  • Banga, A. K. (2015). Electrically Assisted Transdermal and Topical Drug Delivery. CRC Press / Taylor & Francis Group.

  • Rutjes, A. W., et al. (2009). Transcutaneous electrostimulation for osteoarthritis of the knee. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4), CD002823.

  • Kalia, Y. N., et al. (2004). Iontophoretic drug delivery. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 56(5), 619–658.

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