ArticleTrials2021
Effectiveness and safety of acupotomy for knee osteoarthritis: 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.
What it found
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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, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of externally-applied, non-pharmacological Interventions on short- and long-term symptoms and inflammatory cytokine levels in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Acupotomy Combined with Topical Diclofenac for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2025Trial
- Pain Modulation, Inflammation-Regulatory Mechanisms, and Translational Boundaries of Evidence for Acupuncture-Related Therapies in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Structured Narrative Review.Journal of pain research · 2026Review
- Acupotomy for Cervical Spondylosis-Related Neck Pain: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Comparing Artificial Intelligence-Generated and Clinician-Created Personalized Self-Management Guidance for Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis: Blinded Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Observational
- Acupotomy Improves Synovial Hypoxia, Synovitis and Angiogenesis in KOA Rabbits.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Deep Learning-Based CT Imaging to Evaluate the Therapeutic Effects of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy on Knee Osteoarthritis.Computational and mathematical methods in medicine · 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
8 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundKnee osteoarthritis (KOA) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. Acupotomy may be effective for KOA, but the evidence is limited. This trial aims to determine the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy for KOA. METHODS/
designThis is a parallel-group, assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial. Two hundred patients with KOA will be recruited and randomly assigned to two groups (group A or group D) in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in group A will receive acupotomy and topical diclofenac diethylamine for 4 weeks, while patients in group D will receive topical diclofenac diethylamine alone for 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be the response rate-the proportion of patients who achieve the minimal clinically important improvement in pain and function at week 4 compared with baseline. Secondary outcomes will include pain, function, quality of life, the use of rescue medicine (loxoprofen sodium), and adverse events at weeks 4, 8, and 24 after randomization. Besides, joint fluid and serum will be collected to assess the level of inflammatory cytokines, like TNF-α, IL-1β, and MMP-3. DISCUSSION: This study will contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy in combination with topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If the hypothesis is confirmed, acupotomy may be recommended as adjunctive therapy for patients with KOA. Results of the study will be of great importance for the guidelines of clinical therapy.
trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100043005 Registered on 4 February 2021.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.