Lee Ye Ji, Han Chang-Hyun, Jeon Ju Hyun, Kim Eunseok, Park Ki Hyun, Kim Ae Ran, Kim Young Il
Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
J Pain Res. 2025 Jan 8;18:89-103. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S453133. eCollection 2025.
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of combination treatment with thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) and electroacupuncture (EA) in patients with persistent knee pain after arthroscopic surgery, autologous chondrocyte implantation, or autologous osteochondral transplantation.
Twelve patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) who experienced postoperative pain were randomized to either the treatment group (TG) or control group (CG) in a 1:1 ratio. The TG received TEA once a week for four sessions and EA twice a week for eight sessions while continuing usual care, defined as standard conventional treatments. The CG received only usual care for four weeks. The primary outcome was the visual analogue scale (VAS) score at week 4 compared with the baseline. The secondary outcomes were the VAS scores at weeks 2, 6, and 8, the Korean version of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (K-WOMAC), the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L), and rescue medication consumption at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8. Adverse events were assessed at each visit.
The TG showed significant improvement in the VAS scores at weeks 4, 6, and 8 compared with the CG (week 4: -24.5; p = 0.0106, week 6: -19.667; p = 0.0228, week 8: -28.667; p = 0.0036). In the TG, significant differences were observed in K-WOMAC total scores at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 (week 2: 17.167; p = 0.0083, week 4: 23; p = 0.0018, week 6: 29.833; p = 0.0009, week 8: 30.5; p = 0.0006); however, there were no differences between the two groups. The two groups had no significant differences in the EQ-5D-5L and rescue medication consumption. No adverse events were observed in either groups during the study period.
This feasibility study suggests that adding combination treatment with TEA and EA to usual care might relieve pain in patients with KOA. Large-scale clinical trials are needed to confirm the long-term effects of combination treatment.
本研究旨在评估埋线针灸（TEA）与电针（EA）联合治疗在关节镜手术、自体软骨细胞植入或自体骨软骨移植后持续性膝关节疼痛患者中的有效性和安全性。
12例膝关节骨关节炎（KOA）术后疼痛患者按1:1比例随机分为治疗组（TG）和对照组（CG）。治疗组每周接受1次TEA治疗，共4次，每周接受2次EA治疗，共8次，同时继续接受常规护理，即标准的传统治疗。对照组仅接受4周的常规护理。主要结局是第4周时与基线相比的视觉模拟量表（VAS）评分。次要结局包括第2、6和8周时的VAS评分、韩国版西安大略和麦克马斯特大学骨关节炎指数（K-WOMAC）、欧洲五维健康量表（EQ-5D-5L）以及第2、4、6和8周时的急救药物消耗量。每次就诊时评估不良事件。
与对照组相比，治疗组在第4、6和8周时VAS评分有显著改善（第4周：-24.5；p = 0.0106，第6周：-19.667；p = 0.0228，第8周：-28.667；p = 0.0036）。在治疗组中，第2、4、6和8周时K-WOMAC总分有显著差异（第2周：17.167；p = 0.0083，第4周：23；p = 0.0018，第6周：29.833；p = 0.0009，第8周：30.5；p = 0.0006）；然而，两组之间没有差异。两组在EQ-5D-5L和急救药物消耗量方面没有显著差异。在研究期间，两组均未观察到不良事件。
这项可行性研究表明，在常规护理中增加TEA与EA联合治疗可能缓解KOA患者的疼痛。需要进行大规模临床试验以确认联合治疗的长期效果。
