Journal of Internal Medicine Concepts & Practice ›› 2025, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (01): 89-93.doi: 10.16138/j.1673-6087.2025.01.19

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Progress in conservative treatment of knee osteoarthritis with traditional Chinese medicine

ZONG Ya1,2, JIA Jinxuan1, XIE Qing1, XIANG Jing2, LI Qinghai2()   

  1. 1. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
    2. Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Wuxi Branch of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Wuxi 214028, China
  • Received:2024-03-13 Online:2025-02-28 Published:2025-04-30
  • Contact: LI Qinghai E-mail:545584627@qq.com

Abstract:

The knee osteoarthritis is a common chronic degenerative joint disease in clinical practice, with high disability and recurrence rates. Long-term clinical practice and research have shown that the treatment of patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis tends to use conservative therapies such as oral medications, rehabilitation training, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies (acupuncture and massage). The patients with moderate or severe disease need surgical treatment while conservative treatments are ineffective. TCM conservative treatments of knee osteoarthritis show the advantages of significant efficacy, simple operation, few adverse effects, and high patient acceptance. The paper reviews the research progress of knee osteoarthritis treatment from the perspective of TCM, including acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, small needle knife, acupoint injection, Chinese medicine, and the integration of TCM and Western medicine. It aims to provide a multidimensional diagnostic and treatment approach for clinical management of knee osteoarthritis, enrich and optimize treatment plans, and improve clinical outcomes.

Key words: Knee osteoarthritis, Traditional Chinese medicine, Conservative treatment, Research progress

CLC Number: