Self-administered acupressure and exercise for patients with osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial

Objective Knee osteoarthritis is a prevalent degenerative joint disease and seriously affects the athletic abilities of middle-aged and elderly patients. Acupressure is a traditional non-pharmacological intervention that promotes blood circulation and muscle activity. Self-administrated acupressure and exercise can be potential management for knee osteoarthritis. Design It is a randomized and controlled trial for knee osteoarthritis self-treatment. Settings Cangzhou Hospital. Interventions 221 patients with knee osteoarthritis were recruited and randomly divided into 4 groups: control group (n = 55), exercise group (n = 56), acupressure group (n = 55) and exercise & acupressure group (n = 55). In the first eight weeks, corresponding training courses were provided to different groups of patients. The patients were asked to carry out their own corresponding interventions for 16 weeks. The patient‘s condition was evaluated in the sixteenth week. Main measures The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities global scores of knee osteoarthritis patients were assessed at the 8th and 16th week of our trial. Results Self-administered acupressure and exercise significantly decreased visual analogue scale (3.75 ± 1.89 versus 2.93 ± 1.73, p