ArticleMedicine2026
Clinical study on Knee Three Needles combined with ultra-short wave for knee osteoarthritis.
Article in Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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7 authors.
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Abstract
This study investigates the clinical efficacy of Knee Three Needles combined with ultra-short wave for knee osteoarthritis and its effects on different traditional Chinese medicine syndrome types. This retrospective, non-randomized cohort study enrolled 180 patients with knee osteoarthritis from June 2024 to June 2025. Patients were classified according to the rehabilitation protocols previously received into 3 groups (n = 60 each): Knee Three Needles (Group A), ultra-short wave (Group B), and combination therapy (Group C). All received basic treatment (education, exercises, and oral glucosamine hydrochloride). Group A received Knee Three Needles acupuncture (main points: bilateral Knee Eye, Liangqiu, and Xuehai; adjunct points based on syndrome). Group B received ultra-short wave therapy (nonthermal/microthermal, 20 minutes/session). Group C received both treatments. All interventions were administered once daily, with 10 sessions per course. Individual matching for age (±3 years) and body mass index (±1.5) was applied, with analysis of covariance correcting for baseline differences. Visual Analog Scale (rest/motion pain), Lysholm score, and knee range of motion (ROM) were assessed pre- and posttreatment. Baseline data were comparable among groups (P > .05). All groups showed significant posttreatment improvements in Visual Analog Scale, Lysholm score, and ROM (P < .001). Group C demonstrated significantly lower posttreatment rest pain (1.68 ± 0.95) and motion pain (2.95 ± 1.36) versus Groups A and B (P < .05), with superior pain reduction (P < .01). Lysholm score (80.26 ± 10.42) and improvement value (31.30 ± 10.68) in Group C were significantly higher than those in the other groups (P < .01). Flexion/extension improvements in Group C (18.32 ± 9.56°/5.19 ± 3.42°) also surpassed those in Groups A and B (P < .01). The total efficacy rate in Group C (93.3%) was significantly higher than that in Group A (83.3%) and that in Group B (78.3%; P < .05). Subgroup analysis revealed significantly greater Lysholm score improvements in Group C across Blood Stasis, Dampness, and Cold Predominance syndromes versus the monotherapy groups within the same syndrome types (P < .05 or P < .01). For Cold Predominance syndrome, the improvement in Group A (23.18 ± 9.24) exceeded that in Group B (18.28 ± 9.56). In this retrospective cohort, receipt of Knee Three Needles combined with ultra-short wave was associated with greater short-term improvements in pain, function, and ROM than either monotherapy. Because treatment allocation was non-randomized, these findings should be interpreted as associations rather than proof of causality or synergy.
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