Objective: To evaluate the clinical effect of traditional Chinese spinal orthopedic manipulation (TCSOM) in treating chondromalacia patellae (CP).
Methods: Sixty cases of CP patients were randomly assigned to a TCSOM group and a Celecoxib group according to the random number table method. All patients in the TCSOM group were treated with a maximum of 10 spinal manipulations and rehabilitation training of quadriceps femoris. The symptoms before and after treatment were assessed with visual analog scale (VAS) and Kujala functional knee scoring system (KFKSS). A symptom improvement rate (SIR) was implemented in order to evaluate the effects of the treatments.
Results: The symptoms of 16 patients in the TCSOM group quickly resolved after the first spinal manipulation and 8 cases were significantly improved. The VAS scores in the TCSOM group after 4 weeks of treatment were significantly lower than those in the Celecoxib group. The KFKSS scores in the TCSOM group after 4 weeks of treatment were significantly higher than those in the Celecoxib group. Side effects of the treatment were not reported. Symptom improvement rate based on the VAS in the TCSOM group indicated more significant improvements than the Celecoxib group.
Conclusion: TCSOM has greater efficacy than Celecoxib capsules for relief of the symptoms of CP.