Therapeutic efficacy observation of warm needling moxibustion plus Tuina for knee osteoarthritis / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

ABSTRACT

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of warm needling moxibustion plus Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) for knee osteoarthritis (KOA).Methods: A total of 60 patients with KOA were randomized into an observation group and a control group by the random number table, with 30 cases in each group. The control group was treated with warm needling moxibustion, and the observation group was treated with additional Tuina treatment. The treatments were performed once every other day, for a total of 10 times. The visual analog scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) were scored before and after treatment, and the surface electromyography (sEMG) signals of quadriceps femoris were collected. Results: The total effective rate of the control group was 76.7％, and that of the observation group was 90.0％. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). The WOMAC and VAS scores in both groups after treatment were improved, and the integrated electromyography (iEMG) and median frequency (MF) of quadriceps femoris were increased. The intra-group differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). After treatment, the WOMAC and VAS scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). The improvement of quadriceps femoris function in the observation group was more notable than that in the control group, and the iEMG value and MF were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Warming needling moxibustion plus Tuina can effectively relieve the pain in patients with KOA, improve their daily activity function, and increase the sEMG signals of the quadriceps femoris.