Progress of treating knee osteoarthritis with traditional Chinese medicine

Abstract

Knee osteoarthritis is a degenerative diseases-based ailment, the primary cause is lower limb dysfunction in the elderly population, the manifestations of joint pain, swelling, stiffness, deformity, joint friction, dysfunction and other symptoms, adversely impact the patients emotional well-being and quality of life. Chinese herbal medicine, with a long history and as a promising therapeutic, has also been gradually applied to the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee (KOA). It is based on the conventional Chinese medical theory and its clinical application traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment methods such as using TCM externally, acupuncture, massage, traditional health care, etc., is conducive to achieving significant clinical results. This article reviews the different methods of treating KOA with TCM, and probes into the function and the benefits of combining traditional Western medicine with clinical diagnosis and treatment of KOA in TCM. The results show that shadowboxing, eight trigrams boxing, tendon change classic, the Five Mimic-animal boxing and other important rehabilitation methods in traditional health care not only start from the holistic view of TCM, but also can organically combine breathing, consciousness and movement, and then improve the ability of human motor system through multi-functional exercise. In addition, integrative medicine has positive and effective effect on the treatment of KOA. Different patients should choose the appropriate way to intervene individually. In the future, clinical research efforts should be further strengthened to improve the quality of evidence-based evidence, so as to better guide clinical practice.