Effect of electroacupuncture stimulation combined with the enhanced recovery after surgery regimen on motor function recovery following total knee arthroplasty.

Objective: To explore the effect of electroacupuncture stimulation combined with the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) regimen on the recovery of motor function after total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Method: In total, 100 patients with osteoarthritis who were undergoing primary TKA were prospectively included in this study. They were divided into a study group and a control group, with 50 patients in each group. The study group was treated with electroacupuncture stimulation combined with the ERAS regimen. The conventional programme included standard multimodal analgesia and rehabilitation protocols typically used in our hospital for TKA patients. The decision to use different treatment approaches was based on the aim of the study to evaluate the additional benefits of electroacupuncture combined with ERAS compared to the standard care, and the control group was treated with a conventional programme.

Results: The intraoperative blood loss, hospitalisation time and morphine equivalent consumption at 72 h postoperatively in the study group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.001). The different methods had different effects on the static visual analogue scale (VAS) score, dynamic VAS score, American Knee Society (AKS) joint score, AKS function score and range of motion (ROM; P < 0.001). Further comparison revealed that the static and dynamic VAS scores of the patients in the study group were lower than those in the control group after surgery. Moreover, the AKS joint and function scores of the study group were higher than those of the control group after surgery. In addition, the ROM of the study group was higher than that of the control group after surgery. The comparison of complications revealed that the incidence of intermuscular thrombosis (P = 0.014) and infection (P = 0.046) in the study group was lower than that in the control group.

Conclusion: A rehabilitation programme combining electroacupuncture with the ERAS regimen can effectively relieve pain and promote the recovery of motor function in patients after TKA, accelerating the overall recovery process.