Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic disease, which is also recognized as a common disease affecting the elderly. However, the application of Western medicine is limited in clinical because of its obvious adverse reactions. Warm needle acupuncture (WNA) has a long history in the treatment of KOA and is widely used in Chinese. Here we will submit a protocol to evaluate the efficacy and safety of WNA in the treatment of KOA.
Methods: We will search 5 English databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science), 4 Chinese databases [China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Biology Medicine, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), and Wanfang database] and grey literature for randomized controlled trials of WNA in the treatment of KOA. The primary outcome measure is Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), and the secondary outcome will include degree of knee flexion and adverse events caused by WNA, such as dizziness, nausea, abdominal pain, arrhythmia, etc. The selection of the literatures will be conducted by endnote X7 software, and we will use Review Manger V.5.3 software to conduct the meta-analysis.
Results: This study will provide reliable evidence for WNA in the treatment of KAO.
Conclusion: The conclusion of this study will testify the efficacy and safety of WNA in the treatment of KAO.
Registration: OSF Preregistration. 2020, October 11; osf.io/bu5qw.