Clinical trial of manual therapy in the treatment of chondromalacia patellae.

BACKGROUND: Chondromalacia patellae (CP) is a common and main cause of knee pain, the prevalence of the disease in the general population is as high as 36.2%, especially in middle-aged patients aged between 30 and 40 years (up to 50%). The use of manual therapy (MT) to dredge the meridians and muscles around the knee joint and stimulate the relevant acupoints can play vital roles in relieving pain and improving function. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness, safety and further comprehensively, completely and multi-dimensionally explain the mechanism and treatment advantages of MT for CP. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial design was used to study the efficacy and safety of MT in the treatment of CP. One hundred and twenty cases of CP patients will be recruited and randomly divided into experimental group and control group according to 1:1. The control group: sodium hyaluronate; experimental group: MT added on the basis of the control group. Both groups will receive standard treatment for 4 weeks and followed up for 3 months. And at the same time, pay attention to its efficacy and safety indicators. Observation indicators include: the visual analogue scale pain score; the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index scores; the Lysholm scores, and Bristol scores, adverse reactions, etc. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 25.0 software. DISCUSSION: This study will precisely evaluate the effectiveness and safety of MT in the treatment of CP. The results of this experiment will provide more reliable clinical basis for the selection of MT for patients with CP.

Clinical effect of traditional Chinese spinal orthopedic manipulation in treatment of chondromalacia patellae.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect of traditional Chinese spinal orthopedic manipulation (TCSOM) in treating chondromalacia patellae (CP). METHODS: Sixty cases of CP patients were randomly assigned to a TCSOM group and a Celecoxib group according to the random number table method. All patients in the TCSOM group were treated with a maximum of 10 spinal manipulations and rehabilitation training of quadriceps femoris. The symptoms before and after treatment were assessed with visual analog scale (VAS) and Kujala functional knee scoring system (KFKSS). A symptom improvement rate (SIR) was implemented in order to evaluate the effects of the treatments. RESULTS: The symptoms of 16 patients in the TCSOM group quickly resolved after the first spinal manipulation and 8 cases were significantly improved. The VAS scores in the TCSOM group after 4 weeks of treatment were significantly lower than those in the Celecoxib group. The KFKSS scores in the TCSOM group after 4 weeks of treatment were significantly higher than those in the Celecoxib group. Side effects of the treatment were not reported. Symptom improvement rate based on the VAS in the TCSOM group indicated more significant improvements than the Celecoxib group. CONCLUSION: TCSOM has greater efficacy than Celecoxib capsules for relief of the symptoms of CP.

[Efficacy observation on chrondromalacia patellae treated with fire needling technique at high stress points].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy differences between fire needling technique of filiform needle at high stress points and regular acupuncture on chrondromalacia patellae so as to provide the better therapy for the treatment of this disease. METHODS: Sixty cases of chrondromalacia patellae were randomized into a fire needling group (28 cases) and a routine acupuncture group (32 cases). In the fire needling group, 5 to 6 high stress points were localized according to the symptoms, palpation and imaging condition and were stimulated with fire needling technique of filiform needle. The treatment was given once every two days, 5 treatments made one session. In the routine acupuncture group, the regular acupuncture was applied at Dubi (ST 35), Xiguan (LR 7), Yanglingquan (GB 34), Yinlingquan (SP 9), Zusanli (ST 36), etc. The treatment was given once every day, 5 treatments made one session. Lysholm score, VSA score, patella title angle (PTA) and lateral patella angle (LPA) of the affected knees before and after treatment, as well as the clinical efficacy after treatment were observed in the two groups. RESULTS: After treatment, Lysholm score, VSA score, PTA and LPA were all improved apparently in the two groups (all P < 0.01). After the treatments, the improvements in Lysholm score, VSA score, PTA and LPA in the fire needling group were more obvious than those in the routine acupuncture group (all P < 0.05). The effective rate was 92.9% (26/28) in the fire needling group, better than 87.5% (28/32) in the routine acupuncture group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The fire needling technique of filiform needle at the high stress points relieves the clinical symptoms of chrondromalacia patellae and recovers the biodynamical structure of patellae.

Chondromalacia patellae treated by warming needle and rehabilitation training.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of warming needle combined with rehabilitation training on chondromalacia patellae in a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: The 92 cases were randomly divided into a treatment group treated by warming needle plus rehabilitation training (47 cases) and a control group treated by medication plus rehabilitation training (45 cases), and the therapeutic effect was compared after 20 sessions. RESULTS: The pain was relieved more obviously in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05), and the total effective rate was 91.8% and 71.1% respectively (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Warming needle plus rehabilitation training was superior in the therapeutic effect and duration of producing relief of pain to medication plus rehabilitation training in treating chondromalacia patellae.