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Review
. 2024 Dec 15;16(12):7238-7247.
doi: 10.62347/VGCJ2742. eCollection 2024.

Needle knife therapy combined with chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis

Qinglin Peng  1 , Jie Han  2 , Ruiqi Wu  1 , Yukun Wu  2 , Feng Chen  1 , Yu Lai  1
Affiliations
Review

Needle knife therapy combined with chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis

Qinglin Peng et al. Am J Transl Res. .

Abstract

Objective: To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of the combined Needle Knife Therapy (NKT) and Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) treatment for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and to provide clinical evidence supporting its application in managing the condition.

Methods: Relevant articles were retrieved from PubMed, Medline, Embase, Wanfang, and China National Knowledge Network (CNKI) from the inception of the databases up to February 18, 2023. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the efficacy of NKT combined with CHM were appraised for inclusion. The meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 and was registered with the International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (INPLASY) (202470051).

Results: A total of 11 RCTs involving 880 patients were included. The meta-analysis showed that the combined therapy was superior to NKT alone in the treatment of KOA [relative risk (RR) = 1.09; 95% confidence interval (CI): (1.03, 1.14); P = 0.002]. The combined therapy showed a significant reduction in the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score [RR = -0.98; 95% CI: -1.12, -0.84; P < 0.00001] and symptom scores [RR = -1.75; 95% CI: (-1.87, -1.63); P < 0.00001] compared to single NT therapy. There was no significant difference in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndrome scores between the two groups [RR = -0.23; 95% CI: (-0.56, 0.10); P = 0.18]. Furthermore, we observed a marked increase in lysholmy scores in the combination group than in the control group [RR = -1.04; 95% CI: (-1.31, -0.77); P < 0.00001].

Conclusions: The combination of needle-knife therapy and Chinese herbal medicine exhibits promising clinical efficacy in the treatment of KOA.

Keywords: Needle-knife therapy; chinese herbal medicine; efficacy; knee osteoarthritis; meta-analysis.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study procedure and literature screening.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of bias diagram.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Meta-analysis of clinical efficacy of needle-knife therapy combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of KOA. KOA: Knee Osteoarthritis.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Meta-analysis of VAS score for knee joint pain in KOA patients. KOA: Knee Osteoarthritis; VAS: Visual Analog Scale.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Meta-analysis of symptom scores for patients with KOA. KOA: Knee Osteoarthritis.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Meta-analysis of TCM syndrome scores for patients with KOA. KOA: Knee Osteoarthritis; TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Meta-analysis of Lysholm scores for patients with KOA. KOA: Knee Osteoarthritis.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The funnel plots for included studies in each meta-analysis. A. Funnel plots of studies on the clinical efficacy; B. Funnel plots of studies on the VAS score; C. Funnel plots of studies on the symptom scores; D. Funnel plots of studies on the TCM syndrome scores; E. Funnel plots of studies on the Lysholm scores.
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