Bushen Yugu Formula （补肾愈骨方） for Postoperative Functional Rehabilitation of Patients with Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability with Syndrome of Liver-Kidney Insufficiency and Sinews-Vessels Deprived of Nourishment：A Retrospective Cohort Study / 中医杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness and safety of Bushen Yugu Formula （补肾愈骨方） promoting postoperative functional rehabilitation of patients with chronic lateral ankle instability （CLAI） with syndrome of liver-kidney insufficiency and sinews-vessels deprived of nourishment. MethodsClinical data were retrospectively collected from 40 patients with CLAI with syndrome of liver-kidney insufficiency and sinews-vessels deprived of nou-rishment who underwent external ankle ligament repair surgery. They were divided into 20 cases each in the treatment group and control group according to whether or not they took Bushen Yugu Formula； patients in the control group underwent postoperative functional rehabilitation， while patients in the treatment group took Bushen Yugu Formula in the 3rd and 4th postoperative weeks combined with the rehabilitation. The American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society （AOFAS） scores， the flexion/extension and internal/external rotation， the imaging scores of the ankle joint on the operated side and the traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores were recorded in the preoperative and 3-month postoperative， respectively. The patients' liver and kidney functions were tested in the preoperative and 4-month postoperative， and adverse events during treatment were recorded. ResultsCompared with the preoperative period， the AOFAS scores were higher and the TCM syndrome scores were lower in both groups 3 months after surgery （P＜0.01）， and the ankle internal and external rotation mobility and imaging scores were higher in the treatment group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， and ankle flexion/extension mobility was lower in the control group （P＜0.05）. At 3 months after surgery， the AOFAS score was higher in the treatment group than in the control group， and the TCM syndrome score was lower than in the control group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Two cases of gastrointestinal reactions were reported in the treatment group， which relieved on their own after stopping the formula， and no abnormality was observed in liver and kidney function indexes. ConclusionBushen Yugu Formula can promote functional rehabilitation of ankle joint and improve clinical symptoms in CLAI patients with syndrome of liver-kidney insufficiency and sinews-vessels deprived of nourishment， and it shows a good safety.