AIM: To observe the effect of zhenggu lijin treatment in releasing the chronic pain of knee joint. METHODS: A total of 100 patients with chronic pain of knee joint were treated in the Outpatient Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Chinese PLA General Hospital between July 2002 and July 2005. After case history and imaging examination, the patients without lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion, vascular disease of lower limbs or tumor were taken as treatment group, and received only zhenggu lijin treatment twice a week for three weeks totally. Another 30 patients with the same diseases as above were selected as the controls, but they were not treated specially beside the regular treatment. The patients of two groups were followed up before treatment, at 3 and 12 months after treatment, respectively. Chronic pain of knee joint was scored by visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess the symptom improvement (10 points were severe and 0 was painless) and meanwhile, the improvement of subjective symptom was scored in the patients. The symptom, frequency of occurrence and the severity were evaluated by 0 to 45 grades, and the symptom improvement was defined as rising 2 grades. Symptom improvement rate = (grade before treatment - grade after treatment) / grade after treatment x 100%. RESULTS: According to on-treatment analysis, 89 patients were followed up for 3 months, and 78 patients for 12 months in treatment group, and 30 ones for 3 months in control group. (1) Before treatment, the VAS scores were similar in treatment and control groups (6.7 +/- 0.9, 7.1 +/- 0.8 points, t = 78.2, p > 0.05). (2) At 3 months after treatment, the VAS scores in treatment group were significantly decreased as compare with those before treatment, and also significantly decreased as compared with those in control group (treatment group: 3.5 +/- 0.4 points after treatment, 6.7 +/- 0.9 points; control group: 6.9 +/- 0.7 points, t = 54.9, t = 68.8, p < 0.001). (3) The improvement rate of symptom in treatment group was significantly higher than that in control group (45.8 +/- 0.86%, 0.28 +/- 0.01%, t = 67.7, p < 0.001). (4) The VAS scores in treatment group was significantly decreased at 12 months after treatment as compared with those before treatment (3.9 +/- 0.1, 6.7 +/- 0.9 points, t = 47.9, p < 0.001), and the symptom was improved more significantly at 12 months after treatment compared with before treatment (t = 52.2, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The zhenggu lijin treatment can eliminate the tenderness of muscular spasm and muscle contracture, and improve the subjective symptom such as pain and discomfort effectively.

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