title: [Observation on the long-term efficacy of knee osteoarthritis treated with warm needling and rehabilitation training].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the long-term efficacy and safety of warm needling therapy combined with rehabilitation training in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) for the patients living in simple room after earthquake.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-eight cases of KOA were randomized into a warm needling group and an acupuncture group, 44 cases in each one. In the warm needling group, the warm needling therapy was applied at Neixiyan (EX LE 4) and Dubi (ST 35), in combination with rehabilitation training. In the acupuncture group, the same rehabilitation training was received, and the same acupoints were selected as the warm needling group, but only stimulated with acupuncture without moxibustion applied. The clinical efficacy was observed after 20 treatments and in 1-2 months of follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total effective rate was 100.0% (41/41) in the warm needling group, which was apparently superior to 85.4% (35/41) in the acupuncture group (P < 0.05). The symptom integral, pain and knee joint function score were all improved significantly after 20 treatments in both groups (all P < 0.05). The improvements in symptoms and pain in the warm needling group were superior apparently to the acupuncture group (all P < 0.05). The efficacy remained well within 2 months follow-up (all P < 0.05). But the difference in knee joint function score was not statistically significant between the two groups (all P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combined therapy of warm needling and rehabilitation training achieves the superior efficacy and good safety in the treatment of KOA as compared with the combined therapy of simple acupuncture and rehabilitation training for the patients living in simple room after earthquake.
authors.affiliation: Pain Department, First People's Hospital of Chengdu City, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. qiuling1@126.com
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Jun-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kan
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome