Is Cupping Therapy in Combination with Routine Physical Therapy Effective in the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis? A Randomized Controlled Trial
Background: Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis accompanied by varying degrees of disability and reduced quality of life. Several management regimens are available to treat knee osteoarthritis. Cupping therapy is used to treat musculoskeletal disorders but its effects on knee osteoarthri...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences
2018-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Rehabilitation Sciences and Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://jrsr.sums.ac.ir/article_44678_5bbc2afd191c8d539d519a07774ff7ce.pdf |
| Summary: | Background: Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis accompanied by
varying degrees of disability and reduced quality of life. Several management
regimens are available to treat knee osteoarthritis. Cupping therapy is used
to treat musculoskeletal disorders but its effects on knee osteoarthritis has
remained unclear. The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of intermittent
cupping therapy plus routine physical therapy with routine physical therapy
alone in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Methods: Twenty-six patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned
into two groups: intermittent cupping therapy plus routine physical therapy
(intervention group, n=13) and routine physical therapy alone (control group,
n=13). In the routine physical therapy group, transcutaneous electrical nerve
stimulation, hot pack, and ultrasound were used, while in the cupping therapy
group, intermittent vacuum therapy was used together with routine physical
therapy. Both groups received 10 treatment sessions over a period of 2 weeks.
Pain intensity was measured via visual analog scale (VAS). Further, functional
disability was assessed using the Persian version of Western Ontario and
McMaster Universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index questionnaire. Finally,
knee joint passive range of motion (ROM) was measured with photography preand post-intervention.
Results: At follow-up, both groups had significantly lower pain intensity and
functional disability, and higher knee passive ROM compared to their respective
pre-intervention values (P<0.05). However, no significant differences were
observed between groups in pain intensity or passive ROM in the knee (P>0.05).
Differences in total WOMAC scores between pre- and post-intervention were
significantly greater in the control group than in the intervention group (P<0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the results, both interventions can be effective in relieving
symptoms in patients with knee OA. |
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| ISSN: | 2345-6159 2345-6159 |