Focal Thermal Therapy Acupoint OA Knee RCT
- Conditions
- Osteoarthritis, KneeRandomized Controlled Trial
- Interventions
- Device: Thermal gunOther: Heat pack
- Registration Number
- NCT04735029
- Lead Sponsor
- Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Brief Summary
Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common degenerative joint disorder in our ageing population. A combination of thermal therapy with a self-management exercise have shown a positive effect in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of topical heat pack versus focal application of heat therapy at the acupressure points in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.
- Detailed Description
Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common degenerative joint disorder in our ageing population. A combination of thermal therapy with a self-management exercise have shown a positive effect in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of topical heat pack versus focal application of heat therapy at the acupressure points in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.
A randomized control trial was conducted in 76 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, diagnosed by an experienced orthopedic surgeon. Following inclusion and exclusion selection, patients were randomly allocated to group 1 (Heat Pack) or group 2 (Thermal Gun). All patients received 30 minutes of treatment in each session, twice a week for 4 weeks. They also received an education program and taught home knee exercises. Outcome measurements were Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain intensity, muscle power, knee ROM, WOMAC and SF-12v2.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- COMPLETED
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 76
- male or female patients aged 40 years old or older
- clinical and radiological diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee based on the OA Knee clinical guidelines and radiological evidence
- normal skin sensation to heat, cold, pins and pricks (i.e. passed the required Skin Sensation Test)
- not participating in any other clinical trial at time of this study
- be able to complete the whole trial period
- no cognitive dysfunction and was able to sign the consent form
- received bilateral knee arthroplasty before this study
- polyarthritis affecting more than both knee
- active skin lesion
- women in pregnancy or breasts feeding
- received acupuncture and/or moxibustion within one month of the study
- unable to comply with the study protocol
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Thermal Gun group Thermal gun The thermal gun applied on acupressure points in TCM. The thermal gun used a heat-generating ceramic head to apply a dual effect called "heat-and-light-pressure" on the acupuncture points. Heat Pack group Heat pack A hydrocollator heat pack used to simulate traditional thermal therapy. The application of the heat pack was wrapped with six layers of terry towels to bring the temperature down to around 43°C.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Short Form-12 version 2 (SF-12v2) After 1 year Quality of life evaluation; Expressed by Physical component summary (PCS) and Mental component summary (MCS); Both numeric, The higher score the better outcome
Quadriceps and hamstrings muscle strength After 1 year Quadriceps and hamstrings muscle strength were measured according to the Oxford Scale of Muscle Strength; Numeric
Western Ontario and McMasters Universities (WOMAC) After 1 year Functional assessment with the validated Chinese version of the Western Ontario and McMasters Universities (WOMAC); Numeric
Visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain After 1 year 10-scale likert scale to measure pain level visually; Minimum = 0 and Maximum value = 10, and higher scores mean a better outcome.
Knee range of movement (ROM) After 1 year Knee range of movement (ROM) in the supine position using a goniometer; Numeric
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method