title: [Randomized controlled study on the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with different acupuncture methods at different stages].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the efficacy on knee osteoarthritis (KOA) treated with different acupuncture methods at different stages.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighty cases of KOA were divided into stagnation stage, fascia cramp stage and tendon lesion stage according to the condition of disease, 60 cases in each stage. Each stage was randomized into a staging treatment group and an electroacupuncture (EA) group, 30 cases in each one. In the staging treatment group, acupuncture at the tendon points of meridians and electric thermal needling method were adopted for the cases at the stagnation stage; the small needle-knife therapy and bleeding method were used for the cases at the fascia cramp stage; and the electric thermal therapy with thick silver needles was applied for the cases at the tendon lesion stage. In the EA group, EA was applied for the cases of all the three stages at Liangqiu (ST 34), Xuehai (SP 10), Yanglingquan (GB 34), etc.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total effective rate was 96.1% (87/90) in the staging treatment group and was 91.1% (82/90) in the EA group, without significant difference in comparison (P > 0.05). The controlled and remarkably effective rate (88.9%, 80/90) in the staging treatment group was higher apparently than (62.2%, 56/90) in the EA group (P < 0.001). And in the EA group, with the disease progression and the further disease stages, the controlled and remarkably effective rate was reduced. After treatment, the scores of symptoms and signs were decreased in both groups (both P < 0.001), the improvement in the staging treatment group was superior to that in the EA group (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The different acupuncture methods at the three stages improve obviously the clinical effect and are highly targeted. The mechanism of the three stages on "meridian muscle region pathology" and the treatment based on the disease stages can be the effective approach to KOA.
authors: Yubei District TCM Hospital of Chongqing City, Chongqing 401120, China. chengyong4569@163.com
authors: Yong
authors: Y
authors: Cheng
authors: Kai
authors: K
authors: Wu
authors: Zhuo
authors: Z
authors: Cheng
authors: Yi
authors: Y
authors: Zhu
authors: Zi-Guo
authors: ZG
authors: Yang
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Ma
authors: Shi-Wen
authors: SW
authors: Wang
authors: Zong-Lun
authors: ZL
authors: Jiang
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*