Self-Administered Acupressure for Probable Knee Osteoarthritis in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: The effects of self-administered acupressure (SAA) on knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain remain unclear. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of SAA taught via a short training course on reducing knee OA pain in middle-aged and older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted among community-dwelling individuals in Hong Kong who were aged 50 years or older with probable knee OA from September 2019 to May 2022. Interventions: The intervention included 2 training sessions for SAA with a brief knee health education (KHE) session, in which participants practiced acupressure twice daily for 12 weeks. The control group (KHE only) received only education about maintaining knee health on the same schedule and duration. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the numerical rating scale (NRS) pain score at 12 weeks. Other outcomes included Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index, Short Form 6 Dimensions (SF-6D), Timed Up and Go, and Fast Gait Speed tests. Results: A total of 314 participants (mean [SD] age, 62.7 [4.5] years; 246 [78.3%] female; mean [SD] knee pain duration, 7.3 [7.6] years) were randomized into intervention and KHE-only groups (each 157). At week 12, compared with the KHE-only group, the intervention group had a significantly greater reduction in NRS pain score (mean difference [MD], -0.54 points; 95% CI, -0.97 to -0.10 points; P = .02) and higher enhancement in SF-6D utility score (MD, 0.03 points; 95% CI, 0.003 to 0.01 points; P = .03) but did not have significant differences in other outcome measures. The cost-effectiveness acceptability curve demonstrated a greater than 90% probability that the intervention is cost-effective at a willingness to pay threshold of 1 GDP per capita. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, SAA with a brief KHE program was efficacious and cost-effective in relieving knee pain and improving mobility in middle-aged and older adults with probable knee OA. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04191837.

Self-administered acupressure for knee osteoarthritis in middle-aged and older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To test the acceptability and feasibility of self-administered acupressure as an intervention for knee pain among middle-aged and older adults with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). METHODS: In this pilot randomized controlled trial, 35 participants with KOA were randomized to receive self-administered acupressure (n = 17, two self-administered acupressure training sessions followed by self-practice for 6 weeks) or knee health education (n = 18, two health education sessions about KOA management followed by self-care for 6 weeks). Current pain intensity (primary outcome) was measured using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 4 and 6 (post-intervention). Secondary outcome measures included worst and least pain intensity, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), range of motion (ROM) of the knee joints and Short-Form Six-Dimension (SF-6D) scores for health-related quality of life. RESULTS: Participants in both groups attended all training sessions. In the self-administered acupressure group, all subjects mastered the acupressure technique and passed a consistency check. Both groups showed a decreasing trend in current knee pain intensity measured using NRS post-intervention. A medium between-group effect size (0.40) was found, but between-group differences were not statistically significant. The other secondary outcome measures were also comparable between both groups post-intervention (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: A two-session self-administered acupressure training was acceptable to and feasible in participants with KOA. The data generated allowed for calculation of a sample size for a definitive randomized controlled trial (RCT) to confirm whether self-acupressure is effective for pain management in KOA. Furthermore trials with adequate power and longer follow-up periods are warranted.