| Popis: |
Background: The treatment and rehabilitation of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) are important. This trial was designed to determine the effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) involving triple rehabilitation therapy for KOA on the progression of this disease to help expand the use of this therapy. Methods: In this multi-center, prospective, multi-factor randomized single-blinded parallel controlled clinical trial, 38 community health service centers located in Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Foshan, and Chengdu in China were randomly divided into experimental and control groups equally. A total of 722 patients who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. Health education combined with TCM involving triple rehabilitation therapy for KOA (electro-acupuncture, Chinese medicinal herb fumigation-washing, and traditional exercises) was administered in the experimental group while conventional rehabilitation therapy (physical factor therapy, joint movement training, and muscle strength training) was administered in the control group. Patients with a visual analog scale (VAS) score ≥4 were treated with dispersible meloxicam tablets (7.5 mg/time, once/day). The Lequesne index score, VAS score, range of motion (ROM), lower limb muscle strength, knee joint circumference, KOA symptom grading score, and the short-form 36 item health survey questionnaire (SF-36) score were measured for each patient before and at 4 checkpoints during treatment (at 2 weeks, and 4 weeks) and after treatment (at 1 month, and 3 months).Results: The entire process was completed by 351 and 345 patients in the experimental and control groups, respectively. At all treatment checkpoints, the experimental group demonstrated better outcomes than the control group with regard to the total Lequesne index score, effective rate and rate of improvement of the total Lequesne index score, VAS score, lower limb muscle strength, knee circumference, the KOA symptom grading score, and SF-36 scores as well. Conclusion: TCM involving triple rehabilitation therapy for KOA is suitable for patients with early or mid-stage KOA. It can alleviate KOA-related pain and swelling, improve lower limb muscle strength, and promote flexion and activity of the knee. This therapy can improve the quality of life in patients undergoing KOA, and should be popularized and made available to the broader community. |
