Objective: To investigate the effect of small needle-knife therapy in people with painful knee osteoarthritis.
Design: Pilot randomised, controlled trial.
Setting: Rehabilitation hospital.
Subjects: In-patients with osteo-arthritis of the knee.
Interventions: Either 1 to 3 small needle-knife treatments over seven days or oral Celecoxib. All patients stayed in hospital three weeks, receiving the same mobility-focused rehabilitation.
Measures: Oxford Knee Score (OKS), gait speed and kinematics were recorded at baseline, at three weeks (discharge) and at three-months (OKS only). Withdrawal from the study, and adverse events associated with the small needle knife therapy were recorded.
Results: 83 patients were randomized: 44 into the control group, of whom 10 were lost by three weeks and 12 at 3 months; 39 into the experimental group of whom eight were lost at three weeks and three months. The mean (SE) OKS scores at baseline were Control 35.86 (1.05), Exp 38.38 (0.99); at three weeks 26.64 (0.97) and 21.94 (1.23); and at three months 25.83 (0.91) and 20.48 (1.14) The mean (SE) gait speed at baseline was 1.07 (0.03) m/sec (Control) and 0.98 (0.03), and at three weeks was 1.14 (0.03) and 1.12 (0.03) (P < 0.05). Linear mixed model statistical analysis showed that the improvements in the experimental group were statistically significant for total OKS score at discharge and three months.
Conclusions: Small needle-knife therapy added to standard therapy for patients with knee osteoarthritis, was acceptable, safe and reduced pain and improved global function on the Oxford Knee Score. Further research is warranted.
Keywords: Small needle-knife therapy; gait performance; knee osteoarthritis.