Efficacy and safety of chuna manual treatment as an adjunctive therapy after total knee arthroplasty

Abstract

Background: The frequency of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) continues to increase with population aging and prolonged life expectancy. Although the outcomes of TKA are usually good, not all patients gain complete relief from discomfort after surgery. The elderly, having long-term knee arthritis, form the majority of patients undergoing surgery; hence, muscle atrophy and loss of muscle strength around the knee are reported in several cases. We plan to examine the effectiveness and safety of the Chuna Manual Treatment in patients undergoing TKA. Methods: This study will be conducted as an assessor-blind, randomized, single-center, parallel clinical trial. Fifty patients with knee pain who underwent TKA within the last 3 months will be recruited and randomly assigned (in a 1:1 ratio) to receive either the standard treatment (group A) or a combination of both the standard and Chuna Manual Treatment (group B) twice weekly for 4 weeks. The primary endpoint will be a change in the K-WOMAC score. The secondary evaluation variables will be K-WOMAC, numeric pain rating scale, range of movement, fall risk, and economic parameters. Discussion: The results of this study will provide valuable information on the clinical efficacy and safety of adjunctive Chuna Manual Treatment following TKA. Trial registration: This trial has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier, NCT03625050; date of registration, August 10, 2018).