ArticleTrials2021
Effect of acupotomy in knee osteoarthritis patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Article in Trials, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical efficacy of acupuncture therapy combined with core muscle exercises in treating patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Effect of ultrasound-guided acupotomy combined with acupuncture on limb dysfunction in patients with cerebral stroke.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of Acupotomy Combined with Topical Diclofenac for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2025Trial
- Acupotomy for Cervical Spondylosis-Related Neck Pain: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Effectiveness and Safety of Acupotomy on Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Pragmatic, Pilot, Randomized Controlled Trial [Letter].Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Therapeutic Effect of Acupotomy at Sanheyang for Cartilage Collagen Damage in Moderate Knee Osteoarthritis: A Rabbit Model.Journal of inflammation research · 2023Article
- Proteomic Analyses Reveals the Mechanism of Acupotomy Intervention on the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis in Rabbits.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSymptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is common in China. Pharmacological therapy is not the first recommendation because of its safety issues. Nonpharmacological therapy, such as lifestyle adjustments, weight loss, muscle strengthening, and aerobic exercise programs, is strongly recommended for KOA. However, these approaches may fail due to poor patient compliance. There is a lack of high-quality randomized controlled trials of acupotomy, an effective treatment for KOA. This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of acupotomy in patients with KOA.
methodsA total of 136 patients will be enrolled at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and assigned to the acupotomy group or sham acupotomy group according to the block randomization scheme. Patients in the acupotomy group will receive 2 sessions of acupotomy for 2 weeks (once a week). Patients in the sham group will receive 2 sessions of sham stimulation for 2 weeks (once a week). All patients will use indomethacin cream externally. The primary outcome will be the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the secondary outcomes will be the visual analog scale (VAS) score, plantar pressure distribution test result, X-ray examination findings, musculoskeletal ultrasound findings, maximum knee circumference, joint mobility, and quality of life. Measurements will be taken at baseline, 1 week after the end of treatment, and at the 3- and 6-month follow-ups. DISCUSSION: To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first single-blind, sham-controlled study of acupotomy. The outcome assessors will also be blinded. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the efficacy of acupotomy in treating KOA.
trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000033047 . Registered on 18 May 2020.
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