Crossbow needle therapy of the Miao ethnic minority group for knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is commonly seen and has a high occurrence in the middle-aged and elderly. It is characterized by the degeneration and secondary bone hyperplasia of the articular cartilage; the pathologic changes are irreversible. Therefore, treatment of KOA is mainly focused on relieving pain, reducing inflammation, improving or restoring joint function, delaying disease progression, and increasing quality of life. Crossbow needle therapy of the Miao ethnic minority group is intended for KOA treatment and has been widely used. Studies of small sample size have seen significant improvement on pain relief, stiffness, and joint function.

Methods/design

The trial is a randomized, multicenter, parallel, non-inferiority study. Three hundred and six patients w

SUBMITTER: Fu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6020384 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature