Clinical Study Of Treating Knee Osteoarthritis By Apitherapy

ObjectiveThis study aim to compare the effects and functions of the routine ac upuncture and the bee acupuncture (apitheray) in the treatment of osteoar thritis of knee joint (KOA) patients by randomized controlled trail, and explore the more effective method of Chinese medicine on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.MethodsSixty patients who met the criteria of osteoarthritis of single knee joint were included in the study. They were randomly divided into treatme nt group and control group. Both of the groups were treated by a two-week-course. The control group was treated by routine acupuncture, and the tr eatment group was treated by bee acupuncture (apitherapy). The improvemen t of clinical symptoms and signs was assessed by the clinical efficacy as sessment of statistical results table, and the difference between the two groups was determined by statistical significance.ResultsBoth the two groups could improve HSS score of pain, function, mobili ty and the total score. The difference is statistically significant (P<0.01), suggesting the two methods could both alleviate symptoms of patien ts with knee osteoarthritis. The HSS pain score difference between the tw o groups was statistically significant (P<0.05), and the treatment group is better than that of control group. Other HSS scores had no statistica1significance (P>0.05) after the treatment. There were no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The HSS score of the same g roup before the treatment and after the treatment had no statistical sign ificance difference between them(P>0.05).TCM syndrome score of the two groups after treatment for2weeks and 4weeks after treatment had very significant differences(P<0.01). After1week of treatment, TCM syndrome score of the treatment group was stati stically significant different from the control group (P<0.05). The dif ferences of TCM syndrome score in control group after treatment for1wee k had no statistical significance(P>0.05). Comparison between TCM syndr ome score changes of the two groups after follow-up for4weeks had no st atistical significance between them (P<0.05). There were significant ob vious difference between the two groups in overall improving TCM syndrome s.The study confirms that both of the therapies have a definite effect in clinic. However, the efficacy of relieving pain and long-term follow-up result in the treatment group was better than that in the control group, and there was a positive correlation between them (P<0.05).ConclusionThe bee acupuncture (apitherapy) had a more significant clinical efficacy on Knee Osteoarthritis and is a convenient therapy in clinical promotion. It is superior to routine acupuncture therapy especially in the alleviation of pain and the improvement of overall TCM syndromes.