À clinical study of agnikarma and panchatikta guggulu in the management of sandhivata w.s.r to osteoarthritis of knee joint

Osteoarthritis is the commonest form of joint disease and very painful disabling in advancing years. Patients of osteoarthritis need to take analgesics for daily and lifelong. In O A surgery knee joint replacement is very costly and patient has to continue analgesics for long duration. These analgesics and steroids in old age produce averse effects like gastritis hyperacidity renal failure etc. Agnikarma (therapeutic application of heat) which is a non pharmacological treatment relieves the clinical features of the condition without the use of analgesics for longer duration. The combined treatment modality of para surgical and oral medication is tried to assess  the efficacy of agnikarma (theurapeutic heat) in one group and Agnikarma with panchatiktaka ghritha guggulu (ayurved medicated formulation) in another group. The agnikarma was done with a special panchadhatu Shalaka (metal rod designed with of five metals like Copper- 40%, Iron- 30%,  Zinc- 10%, Silver- 10% and Tin       -10% ). Agnikarma was done at medial and lateral site of affected knee joint. Total 15 bindu dagdha (dot like points were made with red hot metal rod) at every time for four times in a month. Agnikarma was done by weekly interval in four sitting in both groups. Assessment of relief in sign and symptoms was done after every seven days upto one month and followed up for one month. After completion of study  encouraging result  was observed in symptomatic relief. The re was complete pain relief in more than 80% patients after completion of treatment. ROM was improved in 50% of patients. In x-ray finding there was no change after completion of treatment as that was the structural defect. Finally study concluded that there is symptomatic relief with Agnikarma procedure in cases of OA knee joint.