OSTEOARTHRITIS
Electroacupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: a multicentre randomised controlled trial assessing symptomatic and structural efficacy.
OrthoEvidence Journal (OE Journal) - ACE Report
Epub Ahead of Print
EClinicalMedicine. 2026 01-Jun;():. 10.1016/j.eclinm.2026.103982Study Summary
480 patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) were randomized to receive electroacupuncture (EA) or sham acupuncture (SA) 3 times weekly for 6 weeks. The primary outcome of interest was change in the WOMAC global score at 6 weeks. Secondary outcomes included Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain, stiffness, and function subscales, visual analogue scale (VAS) pain, Lequesne index, Lysholm score, and 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), while exploratory outcomes included artificial intelligence-based MRI measures of cartilage morphology, infrapatellar fat pad signal, and effusion-synovitis. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and weeks 3, 6, 14, 22, and 30, with MRI assessed at baseline and week 6. Overall, the results of the study revealed substantially greater and clinically meaningful improvements in WOMAC global score and all major symptomatic and functional outcomes with EA, with benefits persisting through 30 weeks. Exploratory MRI findings also suggested reduced synovial inflammation and small favourable changes in selected cartilage measures, although these structural findings were hypothesis-generating.
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