OBJECTIVETo compare the differences in the clinical therapeutic effects on chronic knee joint pain between the combination of the central-square needling technique of thumb-tack needles with the routine therapy of acupuncture, moxibustion andand the routine therapy of acupuncture, moxibustion and.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty patients of chronic knee joint pain were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 60 cases in each one. In the control group, the routine therapy of acupuncture, moxibustion andwas adopted. In the observation group, at the end of treatment with the routine therapy of acupuncture, moxibustion and, the subcutaneous embedding therapy was followed with four thumb-tack needles at the sites 1 to 1.5 cm above, below and bilateral to the main point (point) separately, and the needles were retained for 24 h to 48 h. The treatment was given once every two days, three times a week, totally 6 times in two weeks; and the follow-up visit was done for 3 months in patients of the two groups. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score before and after each treatment, Lequesne index score before treatment and at the end of follow-up and the case numbers of proactive use of painkillers or receiving acupuncture treatment in the follow-up stage were compared and observed in the patients of the two groups.

RESULTSThe VAS score was reduced gradually after treatment in the patients of the two groups. The differences were significant statistically after the second treatment as compared with those before the treatment in the two groups (all<0.05), in which, the improvements in VAS scores after the third treatment in the observation group were more obvious than those in the control group (all<0.05). At the end of follow-up visit, Lequesne index scores were all improved as compared with those before treatment in the two groups (both<0.05) and the improvements were similar between the two groups (>0.05). In the follow-up stage, there were 0 case in the observation group and 9 cases in the control group in terms of proactive use of painkillers (<0.05). There were 5 cases in the observation group and 1 case in the control group receiving acupuncture treatment again (>0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe acupuncture scheme in assistance with the central-square needling technique of thumb-tack needles obviously relieves chronic knee joint pain, much better sustains the analgesic effects of acupuncture and improves patient compliance.