Clinical Efficacy of Warm Acupuncture in Treating Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis and Its Effect on Knee Joint Pain

doi:10.16458/j.cnki.1007-0893.2025.18.014

Abstract：Objective: To observe the clinical effect of warm acupuncture in treating knee osteoarthritis and its impact on knee joint pain. Methods: A total of 126 patients with knee osteoarthritis admitted to Zhengzhou Orthopedic Hospital from March 2021 to March 2024 were selected as the study subjects and randomly divided into a warm acupuncture treatment group (adding warm acupuncture to conventional acupuncture) and a conventional acupuncture treatment group (receiving conventional acupuncture), with 63 cases in each group. The two groups were compared in terms of TCM syndrome scores, knee joint pain degree, knee joint function, synovial thickness and effusion thickness in the joint cavity, bone metabolism indicators, inflammatory-related indicators, clinical efficacy, and incidence of adverse reactions before and after treatment. Results: After treatment, the scores of TCM syndrome, pain rating index (PRI), present pain intensity (PPI), visual analog scale (VAS), and all items and total score of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) in the warm acupuncture treatment group were lower than those in the conventional acupuncture treatment group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The synovial thickness and effusion thickness in the joint cavity of the warm acupuncture treatment group were less than those of the conventional acupuncture treatment group, while the serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) level and total effective rate of treatment were higher than those of the conventional acupuncture treatment group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the total incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: Warm acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis has a significant clinical effect compared to conventional acupuncture, which can improve clinical symptoms, knee joint function, and bone metabolism, reduce the degree of knee joint pain and inflammatory response, without increasing adverse reactions.