Observations on the Efficacy of Contralateral Meridian Needling and Short Thrust Needling plus Functional Training in Treating Knee Osteoarthritis

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of contralateral meridian needling and short thrust needling plus functional training in treating early to mid-stage knee osteoarthritis.Methods One hundred and twenty patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups,60 cases each.The treatment group received contralateral meridian needling and short thrust needling plus functional training and the control group,conventional acupuncture.The symptom and sign score and the VAS score were counted in the two groups before and after two courses of treatment.Results There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in the symptom and sign score and the VAS score in the two groups(P0.01).There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in the symptom and sign score and the VAS score between the two groups(P0.01).The total efficacy rate was 95.0% in the treatment group and 83.3% in the control group;there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups(P0.05).Conclusion Contralateral meridian needling and short thrust needling plus functional training is an effective way to treat early to mid-stage knee osteoarthritis.