Efficacy and Safety of Miniscalpel Acupuncture on Knee Osteoarthritis: - A randomized controlled pilot trial

Comparison of the effects of acupotomy and acupuncture on knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Acupotomy and acupuncture are both treatments for knee osteoarthritis symptoms. However, acupotomy also has the additional anatomical effect of dissecting inflamed tissue. The problem this study aims to address is whether acupotomy is a better treatment than acupuncture in treating knee osteoarthritis.

METHODS

We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Airiti Library, and Wanfang Data databases from inception to March 2022 for randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of acupotomy and acupuncture in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

RESULTS

In total, we identified 43 RCTs in this meta-analysis. Compared to the acupuncture group, acupotomy had a higher cure rate (odds ratio (OR) 2.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.36 to 3.65), indicating a better improvement in daily activity function. Acupotomy was also more effective in pain relief and knee score improvement. However, some RCTs indicated that adverse events in the acupotomy group were greater than in the acupuncture group (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.42 to 3.60).

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicated that acupotomy was a more effective treatment for knee osteoarthritis than acupuncture. However, most of the included RCTs had moderate risk of bias, meaning that more high-quality RCTs were needed.

Efficacy of ultrasound-guided acupotomy for knee osteoarthritis: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-guided acupotomy (UGAT) therapy in the treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

METHODS

We conducted online researches in the databases including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, China national knowledge infrastructure, China biomedical literature database, and Wan Fang data. All data were collected until January 1, 2022. Relevant randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of UGAT for the treatment of KOA were included. Meta-analyses were carried out by RevMan 5.3 software. Evidence quality was evaluated by the grading of recommendations, assessment development, and evaluation.

RESULTS

Eight studies including 543 participants were analyzed in this study. The pooled analysis indicated that UGAT was significantly more efficient than the control group in decreasing the visual analogue scale score (mean difference = -0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) = [-1.15, -0.47], P < .00001, 8 studies), improving knee function on the Lysholm knee score (mean difference = 8.26, 95% CI = [1.56, 14.97], P = .02, 2 studies), and increasing clinical effective rate (relative risk = 1.14, 95% CI = [1.06, 1.23], P = .0005, 6 studies). For adverse events, UGAT was also associated with lower incidence of adverse event (odds ratio = 0.27, 95% CI = [0.12, 0.63], P = .002, 4 studies) compared to traditional acupotomy.

CONCLUSION

Current evidence suggested that UGAT therapy was effective and safe in the clinical treatments of KOA, thus could be suggested in the clinical managements of KOA. However, considering the unsatisfactory quality of the available trials, more large-scale, and better quality randomized controlled trials were recommend in future.

The combined treatment of entrapped Infrapatellar Branch of the Saphenous Nerve after ACL reconstruction: Ultrasound-guided perineural injection and acupotomy

BACKGROUND

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction (ACLR) under the arthroscopy is a widespread procedure for ACL rupture, which could stabilize knee and promote recovery. However, one of its complications is the injury of infrapatellar branch of saphenous nerve (IBSN). In traditional Chinese medicine, acupotomy functions via releasing and stripping adhesion tissues. Accordingly, acupotomy is suitable for the treatment of entrapped nerve injury and tissues adhesion.

CASE DESCRIPTION

A 14-year-old man, who had ACLR before and returned to normal activity, presented with severe pain after a mild strain two weeks ago. The physical and imaging examinations revealed the compression injury of IBSN.

METHODS

We provided the ultrasound-guided perineural injection of 0.4% lidocaine, while it only alleviates the symptoms temporally and partially. Acupotomy using a small needle knife (0.4*40 mm) was performed.

RESULTS

The severe pain was immediately resolved. The visual analog pain scale (VAS) decreased from 10 to 1 and return to normal walking. The diameter of IBSN became smaller and the signal of peripheral soft tissue became hypoechoic in ultrasound.

CONCLUSION

In this case, the combined treatments of ultrasound-guided perineural injection and acupotomy are thought to be innovative procedures for IBSN entrapment with relative long-lasting therapeutic effects.

Acupotomy Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Methods

We performed a comprehensive search on PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and four Chinese databases for articles published prior to June 2020. We included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used acupotomy therapy as the major intervention in adults with knee OA, were published in either Chinese and English, included more than 20 subjects in each group, and included pain and function in the outcome measures. Knee OA was defined by the American College of Rheumatology or Chinese Orthopedic Association criteria in all studies. We extracted the visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score, the total effectiveness rate, the modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) activities of daily living score, and Lysholm's score. We calculated the mean difference (MD) or risk ratio (RR) for all relevant outcomes. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models when appropriate.

Results

We identified 1317 potentially relevant studies, thirty-two of which met the eligibility criteria and were conducted in China between 2007 and 2020. A total of 3021 knee OA patients (62.96% female, median age: 57 years, and median disease duration: 33 months) were included. The treatment duration ranged from 1 week to 5 weeks (median: 3 weeks). The typical acupotomy treatment involved releasing soft tissue adhesions and was performed once a week for 1–5 weeks until the pain was relieved. The control group treatments included acupuncture (8 studies), electroacupuncture (10 studies), sodium hyaluronate (8 studies), radiofrequency electrotherapy (1 study), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, 5 studies). The results from the meta-analysis showed that acupotomy led to superior improvements in the VAS pain score (MD = −1.11; 95% confidence interval (CI), −1.51 to −0.71; p < 0.00001) and WOMAC pain score (MD = −2.32; 95% CI, −2.94 to −1.69; p < 0.00001), a higher total effectiveness rate (RR = 1.15; 95% CI, 1.09–1.21; p < 0.00001), and superior improvements in the JOA score (MD = 6.39; 95% CI, 4.11–9.76; p < 0.00001) and Lysholm's score (MD = 12.75; 95% CI, 2.61–22.89; p = 0.01) for overall pain and function. No serious adverse events were reported.

Conclusion

Chinese acupotomy therapy may relieve pain and improve function in patients with knee OA. Furthermore, rigorously designed and well-controlled RCTs are warranted.

Efficacy of needle-knife combined with etanercept treatment regarding disease activity and hip joint function in ankylosing spondylitis patients with hip joint involvement: A randomized controlled study

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of needle-knife (NK) combined with etanercept (NKCE) in attenuating pain, inflammation, disease activity, and improving hip joint function in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients with hip joint involvement.Totally, 90 patients with active AS involving unilateral hip joint were enrolled and randomly assigned in 1:1:1 ratio to receive NKCE, NK or conventional drugs (control). The ESR, CRP, hip joint pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), modified Harris hip score (mHHS), and range of motion (ROM) of affected hip joint were assessed at baseline (W0), after 1-week treatment (W1) and after 24-week treatment (W24).ESR and CRP were decreased in NKCE group compared with NK and control groups, while was not attenuated in NK group compared with control group. Regrading pain and disease activity, NKCE group presented a reduction in hip pain VAS score and BASDAI compared with NK and control groups, and NK group showed a decrease in hip pain VAS score and BASDAI compared with control group. Besides, BASFI was lowered in NKCE and NK groups compared with control group, but similar between NKCE and NK groups. mHHS and hip ROM were raised in NKCE and NK groups compared with control group, but similar between NKCE and NK groups.NKCE decreases hip pain, inflammation, disease activity and improves hip joint function in AS patients with hip joint involvement.

Acupotomy versus nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for knee osteoarthritis: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), a common clinical chronic osteoarthropathy, has adverse effects on the working ability and life quality of patients. At present, acupotomy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been widely applied on KOA in China and has achieved satisfactory results. However, there is no systematic review comparing the effectiveness of these two therapies for KOA. Therefore, this study will assess the efficacy and safety of acupotomy in treating KOA.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Several databases including CNKI, Wanfang Database, CBM, VIP, PubMed, Cochrane library, Web of Science, and Embase will be used by two independent researchers to search the related clinical RCTs about acupotomy therapy for KOA patients until May 2019. Subsequently, meta-analysis will be conducted by using Review Manager 5.3, and the related data will be analyzed by using the method for GRADE. The continuous data will be presented as the WMD or SMD with 95% CI, while dichotomous data will be shown as the RR with 95% CI.

CONCLUSION

Our results review will provide evidence to determine whether acupotomy can achieve the effect of NSAIDs, or whether it has advantages and safety compared with NSAIDs for patients with KOA.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study will not involve personal information. The ethical approval will not be required. This systematic review will be disseminated electronically through a peer-reviewed journal or international conference presentations.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42019129089.

The effects of acupuncture and electroacupuncture on Parkinson's disease: Current status and future perspectives for molecular mechanisms

Among the progressive neurodegenerative disorders, Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common. Different factors have critical role in pathophysiology of PD such as apoptosis pathways, inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitters and its receptors abnormalities. Acupuncture and electroacupuncture were considered as nondrug therapies for PD. Although numerous studies has been conducted for assessing the mechanism underlying electroacupuncture and acupuncture, various principal aspects of these treatment procedures remain not well-known. There have also been few investigations on the molecular mechanism of acupuncture and electroacupuncture therapy effects in PD. This review evaluates the effects of electroacupuncture and acupuncture on the molecular mechanism in PD.

Efficacy of Duohuojisheng decoction monotherapy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A protocol of a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND

This systematic review investigates the efficacy and safety of Duohuojisheng decoction (DHJSD) monotherapy for the treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

METHODS

We searched relevant studies on DHJSD monotherapy for KOA from the databases of CENTRAL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Information, and Wanfang Data from the inception to January 1, 2019. Two researchers independently selected studies, collected data, and assessed the methodology quality by using Cochrane risk of bias tool.

RESULTS

This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of DHJSD monotherapy for KOA by assessing the pain intensity, stiffness, and disability of affected knee joints, and quality of life, as well as the adverse events.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study provide latest updated evidence of DHJSD monotherapy alone for KOA.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

No ethical approval is required for this systematic review, because it is based on the published data, and not on individual patient data. Its findings is published in a peer-reviewed journal.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

PROSPERO CRD42019120405.