Adding acupuncture, heat therapy, and therapeutic massage to standard care provided greater short-term pain relief and improvements in physical and mental well-being for knee arthritis.
Patients with degenerative knee arthritis were randomly assigned to receive either conventional care or integrative care. Both groups received education on lifestyle changes and anti-inflammatory medication, while the integrative care group also received acupuncture, electrical acupuncture, heat-based therapy, and manual therapeutic massage during the early treatment period. Pain, knee function, and quality of life were assessed before treatment, midway through care, and at the end of follow-up.
The integrative care group experienced substantially greater pain reduction during the treatment phase than the conventional care group. Although some pain relief diminished after the additional therapies ended, integrative care remained more effective for pain control by the final assessment. It also produced better changes over time in quality-of-life domains related to limitations in physical roles and mental health.
