Clinical application of bone decompressing needle in knee osteoarthritis

Objectives: Anterior knee pain is an important problem for patients with Osteoarthritis (OA) of knee, and there is urgent demand for surgery treatment in these patients. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of core decompression in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. Methods: A total of 120 patients with knee osteoarthritis, who visited the Department of Chinese Medicine of Nanjing Medical University No.2 Affiliated Hospital or Recovery Center of Yantai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January of 2013 to September of 2014, were included in this study. Patients were selected based on strict inclusion criteria, and received bone decompression needle treatment or conventional treatment. Patients were randomized into two groups (n=60). Physical conditions and haemorheological changes of patients were assessed before treatment and 6 weeks after treatment to evaluate the therapeutic responses. Results: Prior to treatment, there were no significant differences in general characteristics between the two groups. And after treatment, both treatments showed significant improvement in pain, physical function, and overall score (P<0.05). With regard to stiffness, the group that received bone decompression needle treatment demonstrated more prominent improvement than conventional treatment group. While both groups demonstrated improvement in overall score (P<0.05), the decompression needle group exhibited greater improvement in RP and MH. Overall score of decompression needle group was superior to that of normal treatment group (P<0.05). Conclusions: Treatment with bone decompression needle demonstrated superior effectiveness in alleviating knee osteoarthritis than conventional treatment methods. Bone decompressing needle deserves further promotion and wider application to improve the clinical management of knee osteoarthritis.