What treatment was most satisfactory for patients who visited a traditional Korean medicine hospital for knee arthritis?

A study found that patients who received Korean medicine treatment for knee arthritis were most satisfied with acupuncture.

 

Knee arthritis is a common condition that causes chronic pain and functional impairment, significantly reducing quality of life. Primary knee arthritis, in particular, is a knee condition caused by degenerative changes in the joint without any underlying cause, such as trauma, disease, or deformity that damages the joint or cartilage. This wear and tear on the cartilage leads to decreased joint function, inflammation, and pain. This can cause significant discomfort in daily life, including clicking or clicking sounds in the knee when walking or moving, and limited mobility.

The research team of Dr. Lee Soo-kyung of the Spine and Joint Research Institute at Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital conducted a study on the short- and long-term effects and satisfaction levels of Oriental medicine treatment, which is commonly considered as a conservative treatment for primary knee arthritis in Korea.

The study results showed that patients with primary knee arthritis who received integrated Korean medicine treatments, including acupuncture and herbal medicine, experienced significant improvement in symptoms. Herbal medicine was ranked as the treatment with the highest satisfaction rating.

 

The study involved 81 patients with primary knee osteoarthritis who were hospitalized for more than a week at Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital (Gangnam, Gwangju, Daejeon, Bucheon, Bundang, Ulsan, and Haeundae) from January 2015 to June 2020. Patients received a variety of integrated Korean medicine treatments, including acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, and Chuna therapy, tailored to their specific symptoms and constitution. The average age of the patients was 59.7 years.

The study results showed significant improvements in various evaluation indicators, including the patient's Numerical Rating Scale (NRS; 0-10). The NRS, which was 5.4 upon admission and considered moderate or severe, decreased by nearly half to 2.96 after treatment.

The Women's Osteoarthritis Assessment Index (WOMAC; 0-100), which assesses the degree of disability due to knee arthritis, also improved from 47.3 before treatment to 30.1 at discharge. The Quality of Life Scale (EQ-5D-5L; 0-1) rose by 0.15 points, from 0.62 to 0.77.

 

A long-term follow-up survey conducted after discharge also showed that 81.5% of patients continued to show improvement without receiving additional treatment for the past three months as of the survey date.

 

In a treatment satisfaction survey (PGIC), 96.3% of patients reported improvement after treatment, with acupuncture (65.4%) being the most satisfactory treatment. Furthermore, 80.02% of patients cited "significant pain reduction" as their greatest reason for satisfaction, while 76.5% responded that "pain reduction and functional recovery occurred simultaneously."

 

Dr. Lee Soo-kyung, a Korean medicine doctor, said, “Through this study, we were able to confirm the stable improvement effect and high satisfaction level of Korean medicine integrated treatment for primary knee osteoarthritis,” and added, “I hope that the results of this study will be utilized as useful treatment evidence as they reflect actual clinical practice.”

 

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

Not only knee arthritis,

My mother is currently receiving Oriental medicine treatment after a traffic accident.

I'm receiving it consistently,

The day I received acupuncture

It's physically demanding, but

They say the effect is good the next day