Case-control study on Chinese medicine fumigation and massage therapy for the treatment of knee stability and func tional recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction operation / 中国骨伤

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study clinical outcomes of Chinese medidine fumigation and massage therapy for the treatment of knee stability and functional recovery after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction operation,and to explore the effect on tendon-bone healing.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Total 50 patients were divided into two groups the control group (normal rehabilitation therapy group),the treatment group (Chinese medicine fumigation and manipulation group). There were 25 patients in the control group, including 16 males and 9 females, who were treated with isometric muscle training, with the gradually enlarging amplitude of flexion and progressive loading of bearing training for knee recovery. There were 25 patients in the treatment group, including 15 males and 10 females,who were treated with the conventional rehabilitation therapy combined with Chinese medicine fumigation and massage therapy. The Chinese herbs named as Haitongpi decoction was steamed by a special equipment to fumigate the knee after operation; Based on the biomechanical parameters of the ligament reconstruction, the massage therapy was designed to control the degree of the knee flexion and release the adhesion for early recovery of knee functions. The Lysholm knee function evaluation system was used, and MRI examination was performed to measure the change in width of ligament tunnel in femur and tibia to evaluate the safety and stability of the treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Lysholm system showed that two groups both had improving results from the 1st month after operation to the 3rd month (treatment group, F=36.54, P<0.05; the control group, F=28.12, P<0.05), and the results of the treatment group was better than that of the control group at the observation point (the 1st month, t=0.105, P<0.05; the 3rd month, t=5.361, P<0.01). There was no difference between the two groups when evaluating the bone and tendon healing 3 and 12 months after operation (P>0.05), indicating that Chinese rehabilitation therapy was a safety treatment without the influence on the loosing of tendon.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Chinese medicine fumigation and massage therapy can early improve the knee function after the anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction operation without the disturbance of the knee stability.</p>