Effectiveness of moxibustion treatment as adjunctive therapy in osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Abstract

IntroductionOur objective was to compare the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese moxibustion to that of sham moxibustion in patients with chronic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) pain.MethodsWe conducted a randomized placebo-controlled trial involving 110 patients with KOA who met the inclusion criteria. These patients randomly received either active moxibustion (n = 55) or sham moxibustion control (n = 55) at acupoints Dubi (ST 35), extra-point Neixiyan (EX-LE 4), and an Ashi (tender) point three times a week for 6 weeks. Effects were evaluated with Western Ontario and McMaster Universities’ Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC VA 3.1) criteria at the end of the course of treatment and 3, 12, and 24 weeks after the initial treatment.ResultsThe WOMAC pain scores showed greater improvement in the active treatment group than in control at weeks 3 (P = 0.012), 6 (P <0.001), 12 (P = 0.002), and 24 (P = 0.002) as did WOMAC physical function scores of the active treatment group at week 3 (P = 0.002), 6 (P = 0.015), and 12 (P <0.001) but not 24 (P = 0.058). Patients and practitioners were blinded successfully, and no significant adverse effects were found during the trial.ConclusionsA 6-week course of moxibustion seems to relieve pain effectively and improve function in patients with KOA for up to 18 weeks after the end of treatment. Moxibustion treatment appears to be safe, and the usefulness of the novel moxa device was validated.Trial registrationCurrent controlled trial: ISRCTN68475405. Registered 4 April 2014.

Effects of infrared laser moxibustion on cancer‐related fatigue: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial

“…Instead of stimulating acupuncture points using needles, moxibustion provides thermal stimulation of these points by burning the herb near them. Moxibustion has been practiced along with acupuncture in China for thousands of years to treat various disorders . Although empirically used for alleviating fatigue, to the best of our knowledge research concerning the effects of moxibustion for the treatment of CRF has only been reported in a few Chinese language articles to date.…”

“…Moxibustion has been practiced along with acupuncture in China for thousands of years to treat various disorders. 9,10 Although empirically used for alleviating fatigue, to the best of our knowledge research concerning the effects of moxibustion for the treatment of CRF has only been reported in a few Chinese language articles to date. Because of the high risk of bias and low reporting quality of these studies, it has been difficult to determine whether moxibustion is an effective and safe treatment for patients with CRF.…”

Moxibustion Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis

“…Otherwise, 3 RCTs 20,21,23 noted region adverse reactions, for example, blisters, burn wounds, and skin flushing in local lesions. Two studies 21,23 reported systemic AEs; however, only 1 23 reported positive symptoms, that is, pruritus and fatigue.…”

Comparison of the efficacy between conventional moxibustion and smoke-free moxibustion on knee osteoarthritis: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

“…The treatment acupoints and intervention period are based on some positive result studies and clinical experience in order to ensure their effectiveness [11–13, 15]. …”