Self-administered acupressure helps relieve knee pain in adults with probable knee OA

A program that teaches self-administered acupressure (SAA), coupled with a brief knee health education, works well in terms of alleviating knee pain and improving mobility in middle-aged and older adults with probable knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to a study from Hong Kong.

The study included 314 community-dwelling individuals (mean age 62.7 years, 78.3 percent female, mean knee pain duration 7.3 years) with probable knee OA. These participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=157) or the control group (n=157).

The intervention group underwent two training sessions for SAA with a brief knee health education session, with the participants practicing acupressure twice daily for 12 weeks. The control group, on the other hand, received only education about maintaining knee health on the same schedule and duration.

The numerical rating scale (NRS) pain score at 12 weeks served as the primary outcome. Other outcomes were the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index, Short Form 6 Dimensions (SF-6D), Timed Up and Go, and Fast Gait Speed tests.

At week 12, the NRS pain score was significantly reduced in the intervention group than in the control group (mean difference [MD], −0.54 points, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], −0.97 to −0.10 points; p=0.02). Likewise, the intervention group showed significantly greater improvement in SF-6D utility score (MD, 0.03 points, 95 percent CI, 0.003–0.01; p=0.03).

There were no significant between-group differences observed in other outcome measures.

In a cost-effectiveness analysis, the intervention demonstrated a greater than 90 percent probability of being cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of 1 GDP per capita.