Clinical Observation Of The Treatment Of Knee Osteoarthritis Using The Chinese Medicine Iontophoresis

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic joint disease, which is characterized by the degeneration of the cartilage of the knee joint with or without bone hyperplasia. Knee osteoarthritis most commonly affects people over45years of age.Knee osteoarthritis is also known as hypertrophic arthritis, degenerative arthritis and senile bone and joint disease. It is contributed to the degeneration of the joint, the damage of the cartilage and the degenerative soft tissue around the knee. Symptoms of knee osteoarthritis are stiffness and knee pain. As the aging population going up, this disease which seriously affects the quality of life of the older and brings a heavy physical and psychological burden to the social, family and patients has a multiple trend. One of the traditional treatments of KOA is the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug which causes as much stomach upset, other intestinal problems and the kidney damage. Moreover this type drug can not be satisfied to prevent the process of the disease. Therefore, seeking a safe, practical and effective treatment for KOA has become an important research topic for clinical treatment.The clinical data indicates that the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) iontophoresis is an effective treatment for KOA, but if there is better particular prescription of TCM for the given type of KOA, we have not made a consistent standard.In this paper, a systematic study and research has been done for TCM and modern treatment on KOA (Gubi, Jinbi), a review for the progress of the TCM iontophoresis, and the clinical research for the treatment of the alpine-type KOA using the patent of Professor Li Jun on the way of the iontophoresis. AIM:To observe the clinical efficacy of the treatment, which uses the patent of Professor Li Jun on the way of the iontophoresis, identify the scientific and practical of the iontophoresis and verify the advanced nature of the patent.Methods:60cases of the alpine-type KOA patients were divided into the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) iontophoresis group (n=30) and the simple IF management therapy group (n=30). Patients in the treatment group were administered the iontophoresis of the traditional Chinese medicine, once a day,20minutes each time. Patients in the control group received the simple IF management therapy, once a day,20minutes each time. The dose of the both treatments depends on the severity of the disease. To observe the effect after2courses (10days for a course).Results:1. The scores of the VAS and the symptom-sign were improved significantly after treatment in the TCM iontophoresis group, which was better than before (P<0.01). Compared with the IF group, the TCM iontophoresis group in the treatment of pain and the scores of the symptom-sign was performed better (P<0.05).2. In the TCM iontophoresis group the total effective rate was93.3%, and the cure rate was73.3%. In the IF group the total effective rate was80.0%, and the cure rate was43.3%. The efficacy of the TCM iontophoresis group was better than the IF group (P<0.05).Conclusion:The clinical efficacy of the TCM iontophoresis treatment of KOA was better than that of the IF treatment. The TCM iontophoresis treatment has its own scientific and practical aspect. The prescription for the patent is advanced.