Efficacy of Different Acupuncture Techniques for Pain and Dysfunction in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

IF 4.1 2区医学 Q1 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Pain and Therapy Pub Date : 2025-02-17 DOI:10.1007/s40122-025-00713-x

Jing Sun, Yi Liang, Kai-Tao Luo, Xiao-Mei Shao, Ming-Qi Tu, Xiao-Ting Wu, Fang Liu, Xin-Wei Li, Yi-Dan Chen, Qi-Fei Zhang, Cong-Hua Ji, Rong-Rong Li, Xiao-Yu Li, Fu Xu, Jian-Qiao Fang

{"title":"Efficacy of Different Acupuncture Techniques for Pain and Dysfunction in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.","authors":"Jing Sun, Yi Liang, Kai-Tao Luo, Xiao-Mei Shao, Ming-Qi Tu, Xiao-Ting Wu, Fang Liu, Xin-Wei Li, Yi-Dan Chen, Qi-Fei Zhang, Cong-Hua Ji, Rong-Rong Li, Xiao-Yu Li, Fu Xu, Jian-Qiao Fang","doi":"10.1007/s40122-025-00713-x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Introduction: Various acupuncture techniques are widely applied in clinics for pain control and dysfunction relief in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The purpose of this trial was to investigate whether the different acupuncture techniques were more effective in treating joint pain and dysfunction than were sham acupuncture or drug treatment in patients with KOA and to determine the differences in efficacy among them.Methods: In this multi-center, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned to the manual acupuncture (MA), electroacupuncture (EA), warm-needling acupuncture (WA), mild moxibustion (MM), sham acupuncture (SA), or drug treatment (Celebrex) groups. Each participant in the above groups received individual treatments for 4 consecutive weeks. The primary outcome measures included the visual analog scale score (VAS) and the physical function score of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC).Results: Compared with the SA group, the acupuncture technique groups (MA, EA, WA, and MM) had markedly lower patient VAS scores (- 0.61; 95% CI - 1.09 to - 0.13; P = 0.01) and lower WOMAC physical function scores (- 13.84; 95% CI - 21.14 to - 6.54; P < 0.01). Compared with Celebrex, EA had a significant advantage in reducing the VAS score (1.14; 95% CI 0.55 to 1.72; P < 0.01) and WOMAC physical function score (14.81; 95% CI 5.69 to 23.93; P < 0.01).Conclusions: The observed acupuncture techniques effectively relieve pain and ameliorate knee joint dysfunction in patients with KOA. EA is the most effective method of alleviating pain intensity in treating KOA.Trial registration: The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03563690).","PeriodicalId":19908,"journal":{"name":"Pain and Therapy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Pain and Therapy","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s40122-025-00713-x","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CLINICAL NEUROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Introduction: Various acupuncture techniques are widely applied in clinics for pain control and dysfunction relief in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The purpose of this trial was to investigate whether the different acupuncture techniques were more effective in treating joint pain and dysfunction than were sham acupuncture or drug treatment in patients with KOA and to determine the differences in efficacy among them.

Methods: In this multi-center, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial, participants were randomly assigned to the manual acupuncture (MA), electroacupuncture (EA), warm-needling acupuncture (WA), mild moxibustion (MM), sham acupuncture (SA), or drug treatment (Celebrex) groups. Each participant in the above groups received individual treatments for 4 consecutive weeks. The primary outcome measures included the visual analog scale score (VAS) and the physical function score of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC).

Results: Compared with the SA group, the acupuncture technique groups (MA, EA, WA, and MM) had markedly lower patient VAS scores (- 0.61; 95% CI - 1.09 to - 0.13; P = 0.01) and lower WOMAC physical function scores (- 13.84; 95% CI - 21.14 to - 6.54; P < 0.01). Compared with Celebrex, EA had a significant advantage in reducing the VAS score (1.14; 95% CI 0.55 to 1.72; P < 0.01) and WOMAC physical function score (14.81; 95% CI 5.69 to 23.93; P < 0.01).

Conclusions: The observed acupuncture techniques effectively relieve pain and ameliorate knee joint dysfunction in patients with KOA. EA is the most effective method of alleviating pain intensity in treating KOA.

Trial registration: The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03563690).

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Pain and Therapy CLINICAL NEUROLOGY-

CiteScore

6.60

自引率

5.00%

发文量

110

审稿时长

6 weeks

期刊介绍： Pain and Therapy is an international, open access, peer-reviewed, rapid publication journal dedicated to the publication of high-quality clinical (all phases), observational, real-world, and health outcomes research around the discovery, development, and use of pain therapies and pain-related devices. Studies relating to diagnosis, pharmacoeconomics, public health, quality of life, and patient care, management, and education are also encouraged. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, acute pain, cancer pain, chronic pain, headache and migraine, neuropathic pain, opioids, palliative care and pain ethics, peri- and post-operative pain as well as rheumatic pain and fibromyalgia. The journal is of interest to a broad audience of pharmaceutical and healthcare professionals and publishes original research, reviews, case reports, trial protocols, short communications such as commentaries and editorials, and letters. The journal is read by a global audience and receives submissions from around the world. Pain and Therapy will consider all scientifically sound research be it positive, confirmatory or negative data. Submissions are welcomed whether they relate to an international and/or a country-specific audience, something that is crucially important when researchers are trying to target more specific patient populations. This inclusive approach allows the journal to assist in the dissemination of all scientifically and ethically sound research.