Introduction: Osteoarthritis is a widespread chronic degenerative disease seen with gradual onset. Knee joint being the most commonly affected joint, it has become the leading cause of disability in individuals above 50 years of age today. Total cure for osteoarthritis has not been discovered and it’s said that this disease can be controlled rather than total cure. Acupuncture is a treatment modality of Traditional Chinese Medicine which involves the puncturing the skin at specific points located on body meridians using needles in order to balance the vital energy flow within the body.
Methodology: Five patients with osteoarthritis of knee joint visiting to Professor Anton Jasyasuriya Memorial Teaching Hospital were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and treated after getting consent. Acupuncture treatment protocol which was implemented with the knowledge gained from literature studies and practical applications was utilized in this study. Followed the patients throughout the treatment for one month and assessed the therapeutic effect of Acupuncture for osteoarthritis of knee joints.
Results: It showed a significant reduction of pain and increased range of movement and mobility of knee joints with other positive health effects such as mental relaxation, good bowel moments and relief from diseases like headaches, backaches, Insomnia.
Conclusion: Acupuncture is a patient friendly treatment with limited side effects that can be carried out with minimal time consumption. From this study it was cleared that Acupuncture is effective as an alternative treatment for pain and physical dysfunction associated with osteoarthritis of the knee joints.
S.N.L. Narathota, M. De Silva, H. Jayakody, S.S. Hettige
Open International University of Complementary Medicine (OIUCM), No37, Beach road, Mount Lavinia
sandalinarathota@ymail.comKey words: Acupuncture, Osteoarthritis, TCM, GLIDS Protocol