Clinical Study Of Treating Knee Osteoarthritis By Acupuncture Combined Acupoint Application

Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most common knee degenerative disease in the elderly. KOA has serious perniciousness. With the growing of population aging in China’s social, the incidence of KOA will grow accordingly. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the pathogenesis of KOA are nothing more than exterior pathogen entering the interior and trauma caused. The exterior pathogen would be wind, cold, dampness and heat. As the most effective treatment of TCM, Acupuncture makes a good curative effect. And it is widely recognized in the treatment of KOA. The Acupoint Application therapy can play on a long, stable stimulation on acupoint while keeping the treatment specific of meridians and acupoints. Therefore, there is a very important clinical value to explore the effect of treating KOA by acupuncture combined with acupoint application.Objective:In this study, a randomized controlled clinical trial would be taked to explore the effect of treating KOA by acupuncture combined with acupoint application.Method:Total60samples of KOA which meet the screening criteria, were collected in the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of TCM. Samples were randomly divided into treatment group and the control group, each for30cases. After the trial began, the treatment and control groups were treated by basis acupuncture treatment. Main acupoint:①ST35, EX-LE4, LR7, GB34,②ST35, EX-LE4, ST34, SP10, ST36. Add and Subtract:syndrome of cold-dampness, add RN4, BL23; syndrome of dampness-heat, add SP9, SP5. Operation:The two groud main point on the suffered limb were used interchangeably each treatment. Inserted the needle as conmon, used neutral supplementation and draining method, in order to have a tingling and swelling feeling,30min.10times as a course of treatment, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday referral for treatment. Beside the basis acupuncture therapy, treatment group also used acupoint applicator. The other groud of acupoint were used. The applicator drugs were made of Angelica, Herba Lysimachiae, Giantleaf Ardisia Rhizome, Ligusticum, Fructus Liquidambaris, Corydalis yanhusuo, Corydalis yanhusuo, Kadsura coccinea and Cortex Phellodendri. Before and after the treatment, knee-function score and VAS pain score were taken to evaluate the treatment effect.Results:There were no significantly different (P>0.05) about indicatorsbetween two groups of patients before treatment. After10times treatment, knee function and pain of the two groups of patients both were significantly improved. The treatment group (acupuncture combined acupoint application) improved more obvious (P<0.05). Excluding off cases, the clinical cure rate and significant efficiency rate of treatment group were significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture combined acupoint application therapy can improve the cure rate of KOA with better results than single acupuncture therapy.