RESUMEN
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of Qihuang needle therapy in treating knee osteoarthritis.Methods Sixty knee osteoarthritis patients were randomly divided into treatment group and control group,30 cases in each group.The treatment group was given Qihuang needle therapy and the control group was given conventional acupuncture therapy.After treatment for 10 days,we evaluated the curative effect of the two groups by the scores of the simplified McGill pain scale (MPQ) and the Lysholm knee scoring criteria.Results (1) After treatment for 10 days,the symptoms of pain,swelling,stiffness,and inhibited bending and stretching of knee joints of the two groups were relieved.Pain rating index (PRI),visual analogue scale (VAS) scores and present pain intensity (PPI)of MPQ in the two groups were obviously decreased,while Lysholm knee scores were markedly increased(P ＜ 0.01 compared with those before treatment),and the effect of the treatment group was superior to that of the control group (P ＜ 0.05).(2) The total effective rate of the treatment group was 86.67％,and that of the control group was 66.67％,the difference between the two groups being significant (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Qihuang needle therapy is effective for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis,with the advantages of shorter treatment course,better therapeutic effect and being more practical.