A study has shown that patients who received traditional Korean medicine treatment for knee osteoarthritis were most satisfied with 'acupuncture injections'.

 

Knee osteoarthritis is a chronic condition that causes persistent pain and functional impairment, significantly reducing quality of life. In particular, primary (idiopathic) knee osteoarthritis is a knee disorder that occurs due to degenerative changes in the joint without any specific preceding causes such as trauma, disease, or deformity that damage the joint or cartilage. As the cartilage wears down or becomes damaged, joint function deteriorates, leading to inflammation and pain. It causes considerable discomfort in daily life, such as noises from the knee when walking or moving, or restricted movement.

The research team led by Dr. Lee Su-kyung from the Spinal and Joint Research Institute at Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital conducted a study on the effects and satisfaction levels of traditional Korean medicine treatments, which are commonly considered as conservative options for primary knee osteoarthritis in Korea, over both short and long-term periods.

Research results showed that symptoms of primary knee osteoarthritis patients who received integrated Korean medicine treatments such as acupuncture and herbal acupuncture significantly improved after treatment. The treatment with the highest satisfaction was herbal acupuncture therapy.

 

The study was conducted on 81 primary knee osteoarthritis patients who were hospitalized for more than a week at Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital (Gangnam, Gwangju, Daejeon, Bucheon, Bundang, Ulsan, Haeundae) from January 2015 to June 2020. The patients received various integrated Korean medicine treatments such as acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, and Chuna therapy, tailored to their individual symptoms and constitution. The average age of these patients was 59.7 years.

The research findings showed significant improvements across various assessment indicators, including the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS; 0-10) for pain. In the case of the NRS, the score was 5.4 upon admission, indicating moderate to severe pain, but after treatment, it decreased to 2.96, nearly halving the initial value.

The osteoarthritis index (WOMAC; 0-100), which assesses the severity of disability caused by knee osteoarthritis, improved from 47.3 before treatment to 30.1 at discharge. The quality of life measure (EQ-5D-5L; 0-1) increased by 0.15 points from 0.62 to 0.77.

 

In the long-term follow-up survey conducted after discharge, 81.5% of patients showed that their condition continued to improve without receiving additional treatment in the past three months from the survey date.

 

In the treatment satisfaction survey (PGIC), 96.3% of patients reported improvement after treatment, and the most satisfying treatment was pharmacopuncture therapy (65.4%). Additionally, 80.02% of patients cited "significant reduction in pain" as the main reason for their satisfaction, and 76.5% of patients responded that "pain reduction and functional recovery occurred simultaneously."

 

Traditional Korean Medicine doctor Lee Soo-kyung said, "Through this study, we were able to confirm the stable improvement effects and high satisfaction of integrated Korean medicine treatment for primary knee osteoarthritis," and added, "Since the results of this study reflect actual clinical practice, I hope they will be used as a useful basis for treatment."

 

============

Not only knee arthritis, but also

Mom is involved in a traffic accident, so she is now receiving traditional Korean medicine treatment.

I am receiving it consistently.

The day I received the pharmacopuncture treatment

It's physically exhausting, but

They say the next-day effect is good.