Acupuntura y ejercicio terapéutico en mujeres mayores de 50 años con osteoartrosis de rodilla. Ensayo clínico aleatorizado

Introduction

Osteoarthritis is a chronic disease of the synovial joints characterized by the loss of cartilage due to mechanical and biological factors. Epidemiological studies show that the joints most affected in osteoarthritis are the hips and knees, affecting 9.6% of men and 18% of women > 60 years with clinically symptomatic osteoarthritis. For this reason, the objective of this article was to determine the effectiveness of a combined therapeutic exercise and acupuncture intervention in women > 50 years with osteoarthrosis of the knee.

Materials and methods

Randomized clinical trial, on a sample of 30 participants divided into 2 groups: real acupuncture + therapeutic exercise (A + TE group) and therapeutic exercise + sham acupuncture (TE group). SEBT (Star Excursion Balance Test), ROM (range of motion) were measured by goniometry and pain was measured using the visual analogue (VAS)scale and the WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) questionnaire.

Results

The evaluated groups were statistically equal, the pain measured with VAS and WOMAC showed statistically significant changes (p < .001) between the groups, showing better results for the A + TE group. However, this improvement was not permanent since there was no additional benefit between the treatments at one month of follow-up.

Conclusions

The therapeutic strategies between acupuncture and therapeutic exercise applied in women > 50 years with osteoarthritis of the knee did not show clinically significant changes in the categories studied when comparing the interventions; however, in both treatment groups the participants experienced an improvement in the course of the intervention.