Osteoarthritis of the knee (KOA), a disorder characterized by degenerative changes and secondary osteophytes of the knee cartilage, is most commonly seen in middle-aged and elderly people, with symptoms progressively worsening with age.
Western medical diagnostic criteria
Refer to the KOA diagnostic criteria recommended by the American College of Rheumatology
1. Knee pain most of the time for 1 month;
2.Bone redundancy formation
3, consistent with osteoarthritic joint fluid examination (clear, viscous, WBC <2*109/L)
4, Age > 40 years (those who cannot check joint fluid)
5.Morning stiffness less than 30min
6.The joint movement with periosteal rubbing sound
Satisfy 1+2 or 1+3+5+6 or 1+4+5+6 can be diagnosed.
Diagnostic criteria for TCM
Refer to the diagnostic criteria for bone paralysis in Chinese medicine
1, the initial knee joint vague pain, flexion and extension unfavorable, slight activity slightly relieved, climate change aggravated, repeatedly lingering.
2, insidious onset, slow onset, mostly seen in middle-aged and elderly people.
3. Mild swelling and fluid accumulation in the knee joint, with a clicking or grinding sound when moving the joint.
4. X-ray examination of osteoporosis, joint space narrowing, subchondral bone sclerosis, labral changes at the edges, and bone redundancy formation.
Inclusion criteria suitable for rehabilitation treatment
1.Meet the diagnostic criteria of Chinese and Western medicine
2.If there is joint effusion, the effusion should be consistent with sterile inflammation by routine and biochemical examination
3.Willing to cooperate with rehabilitation treatment
Rehabilitation treatment principle.
Because the quadriceps is an important dynamic stabilizer of the knee joint, it is vital to the function and stability of the knee joint. If the quadriceps muscle becomes weak and atrophied and its strength decreases, the function and stability of the knee joint will be seriously affected. In turn, the instability of the knee joint can accelerate the process of osteoarthritis of the knee joint, forming a vicious cycle of “muscle strength decreases → joint instability → articular cartilage wear increases → KOA increases → muscle strength decreases”, thus increasing the speed and degree of damage to the knee joint and making the condition progressively worse. Therefore, we start from the theory that “exercise can prevent and treat muscle atrophy” and “exercise can increase muscle size, weight, muscle strength, and structural components in muscle tissue”, and use exercise therapy, occupational therapy, low frequency, and myoelectric biofeedback techniques in rehabilitation therapy. We use exercise therapy, occupational therapy, low-frequency, myoelectric biofeedback and other therapeutic techniques to strengthen the quadriceps muscle, the target muscle group of KOA, to improve and enhance knee joint stability and load resistance.
Clinical practice has proven that the use of one treatment method alone for KOA patients, especially those in the progressive stage, does not necessarily lead to improvement of symptoms and restoration of function in the shortest possible time, nor does it necessarily lead to a delay in the patient’s condition. Moreover, if the treatment method is not chosen properly and the best treatment time is delayed, the patient’s symptoms will be further aggravated and the disease will develop further, and even enter the late stage of the disease and various functional disorders will appear. This will bring great harm to the patient’s body and mind and seriously affect the patient’s daily life and work.