[Acupoint puncture combined with Ilizarov technique for the treatment of elderly paitents with knee osteoarthritis].

OBJECTIVE

To explore the clinical effect of acupoint puncture combined with Ilizarov technique in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in the elderly.

METHODS

From March 2015 to February 2016, 76 patients with primary knee osteoarthritis were treated with tibial osteotomy acupoint puncture grouop and Ilizarov technique anatomical puncture group, including 24 males and 52 females, aged 56 to 75 years old with an average of 61.4 years old, and a course of 3 to 17 years with an average of 5.2 years. Among them, 38 cases were treated with external fixation of acupoint puncture needle and 38 cases were treated with external fixation of anatomical puncture needle. Preoperative full-length X-ray of both lower limbs showed tibial varus deformity, narrowing of medial knee joint space and enlargement of lateral knee joint space. The force line of the affected knee and lower limb was moved inward by body surface measurement, and the KSS knee function score was decreased. Symptoms included medial knee pain, flexion and extension, and conservative treatment for more than 2 years.

RESULTS

The lower limb force lines of both groups were corrected and the osteotomy ends healed well. No nonunion of osteotomy, inadequate correction of lower limbs or recurrence of deformity were found. Seventy-five patients were followed up for 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after operation. There was no significant difference in knee joint mobility between the two groups before operation and on 6, 12, 24 months after operation(F=1.346, P>0.05). There were significant difference in KSS pain and total score between the two groups at 3 months after operation, acupoint puncture group was better than anatomical puncture group(P<0.05); there was no significant difference in KSS score at 12 months after operation(P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The acupoint puncture group formed a potential acupuncture effect in the acupoint area by continuously tightening the steel needle on Ilizarov ring external fixator during the post-operative adjustment. Within three months after wearing external fixator, the knee pain symptoms of knee osteoarthritis were relieved rapidly, continuously and effectively, which was significantly better than that of the anatomical puncture group.