Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39802413›Full record

Trial reportJournal of pain research2025

Combination Treatment with Thread-Embedding Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis Patients with Postoperative Pain: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Study.

Ye Ji Lee, Chang-Hyun Han, Ju Hyun Jeon, Eunseok Kim, Ki Hyun Park, Ae Ran Kim, Young Il Kim

Abstract readCase ReportsClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of pain research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ye Ji Lee *Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-2759-5644
Chang-Hyun Han *KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0003-4285-3063
Ju Hyun JeonDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0001-6666-7922
Eunseok KimDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, Pusan National University Korean Medicine Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0002-9342-3082
Ki Hyun ParkKM Data Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Ae Ran KimClinical Research Coordinating Team, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0003-3600-0806
Young Il KimDepartment of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine, College of Korean Medicine, Daejeon University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0001-9221-3238

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of combination treatment with thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) and electroacupuncture (EA) in patients with persistent knee pain after arthroscopic surgery, autologous chondrocyte implantation, or autologous osteochondral transplantation. Patients and Methods: Twelve patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) who experienced postoperative pain were randomized to either the treatment group (TG) or control group (CG) in a 1:1 ratio. The TG received TEA once a week for four sessions and EA twice a week for eight sessions while continuing usual care, defined as standard conventional treatments. The CG received only usual care for four weeks. The primary outcome was the visual analogue scale (VAS) score at week 4 compared with the baseline. The secondary outcomes were the VAS scores at weeks 2, 6, and 8, the Korean version of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (K-WOMAC), the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L), and rescue medication consumption at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8. Adverse events were assessed at each visit. Results: The TG showed significant improvement in the VAS scores at weeks 4, 6, and 8 compared with the CG (week 4: -24.5; p = 0.0106, week 6: -19.667; p = 0.0228, week 8: -28.667; p = 0.0036). In the TG, significant differences were observed in K-WOMAC total scores at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 (week 2: 17.167; p = 0.0083, week 4: 23; p = 0.0018, week 6: 29.833; p = 0.0009, week 8: 30.5; p = 0.0006); however, there were no differences between the two groups. The two groups had no significant differences in the EQ-5D-5L and rescue medication consumption. No adverse events were observed in either groups during the study period. Conclusion: This feasibility study suggests that adding combination treatment with TEA and EA to usual care might relieve pain in patients with KOA. Large-scale clinical trials are needed to confirm the long-term effects of combination treatment.

Indexed as

electroacupuncturekneeosteoarthritisrandomized controlled trialthread-embedding acupuncture

Identifiers

PMID39802413
PMCPMC11725237

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Registered trials

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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.