The effects of small-needle-knife therapy on pain and mobility from knee osteoarthritis: a pilot randomized-controlled study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effect of small needle-knife therapy in people with painful knee osteoarthritis. Design: Pilot randomised, controlled trial. Setting: Rehabilitation hospital. Subjects: In-patients with osteo-arthritis of the knee. Interventions: Either 1 to 3 small needle-knife treatments over seven days or oral Celecoxib. All patients stayed in hospital three weeks, receiving the same mobility-focused rehabilitation. Measures: Oxford Knee Score (OKS), gait speed and kinematics were recorded at baseline, at three weeks (discharge) and at three-months (OKS only). Withdrawal from the study, and adverse events associated with the small needle knife therapy were recorded. Results: 83 patients were randomized: 44 into the control group, of whom 10 were lost by three weeks and 12 at 3 months; 39 into the experimental group of whom eight were lost at three weeks and three months. The mean (SE) OKS scores at baseline were Control 35.86 (1.05), Exp 38.38 (0.99); at three weeks 26.64 (0.97) and 21.94 (1.23); and at three months 25.83 (0.91) and 20.48 (1.14) The mean (SE) gait speed at baseline was 1.07 (0.03) m/sec (Control) and 0.98 (0.03), and at three weeks was 1.14 (0.03) and 1.12 (0.03) ( P < 0.05). Linear mixed model statistical analysis showed that the improvements in the experimental group were statistically significant for total OKS score at discharge and three months Conclusions: Small needle-knife therapy added to standard therapy for patients with knee osteoarthritis, was acceptable, safe and reduced pain and improved global function on the Oxford Knee Score. Further research is warranted.

Effect of Acupotomy Combined with Electroacupuncture Therapy on Finger Mobility and Pain Relief in Patients with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

“…Quality of life is as follows. The living quality after treatment was assessed by the 36-item short form (SF-36) health survey [ 11 ], which consisted of eight parts and was scored out of 100, with a higher total score indicating a better quality of life.…”

Iliopsoas hematoma secondary to small needle scalpel for the treatment of nonspecific low back pain: A case report

“…Other names include acupotomy, needle scalpel, mini-scalpel acupuncture and mini-needle-knife, and mini-scalpel needle. [ 31 ]…”

The Efficacy of Backward Walking on Static Stability, Proprioception, Pain, and Physical Function of Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…On one hand, proprioception improvement in the two groups should be attributed to acupotomy and routine exercise. It had been proved that acupotomy was beneficial to reduce pain and improve joint function for KOA patients [ 45 ], which resulted in a better proprioception before intervention. On the other hand, the proprioception mainly includes the sense of position and movement and the sense of effort, force, and heaviness [ 46 ], and tendons and muscle spindles are the two major mechanoreceptors [ 47 ].…”