浅谈针灸治疗膝骨关节炎疼痛的临床研究进展及展望

On the Clinical Research Progress and Prospect of Acupuncture and Moxibustion in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis Pain

摘要: 膝骨关节炎疼痛是临床常见的慢性退行性关节疾病症状，多发于中老年人群，主要表现为膝关节疼痛、肿胀、活动受限，严重影响患者生活质量。目前西医治疗以非甾体抗炎药、关节腔注射、手术等为主，虽能短期缓解疼痛，但长期使用易引发胃肠道损伤、肝肾功能异常等不良反应，且手术治疗存在创伤大、术后恢复周期长等问题，临床应用存在一定局限性。中医将膝骨关节炎疼痛归为“痹证”范畴，在改善症状、延缓病情进展及减少不良反应方面具有独特优势。针灸作为中医特色疗法，通过刺激特定穴位调节经络气血运行，可有效缓解膝关节疼痛、改善关节功能，且安全性较高。本文汇总近年针灸治疗膝骨关节炎疼痛的临床研究进展，分析不同疗法的应用特点与疗效差异，为临床实践提供参考。

Abstract: Pain in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common clinical symptom of chronic degenerative joint diseases, which mainly affects the middle-aged and elderly population. Its primary manifestations include knee pain, swelling, and limited mobility, severely impairing patients’ quality of life. At present, Western medicine treatments mainly include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), intra-articular injections, and surgery. Although these methods can relieve pain in the short term, long-term use of NSAIDs is prone to causing adverse reactions such as gastrointestinal damage and abnormal liver and kidney functions. Additionally, surgical treatments have issues like large trauma and long post-operative recovery periods, leading to certain limitations in clinical application. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), KOA pain is classified into the category of “Bi Syndrome” (blockage syndrome). TCM emphasizes “holistic regulation” and “treatment based on syndrome differentiation,” and has unique advantages in alleviating symptoms, delaying disease progression, and reducing adverse reactions. As a characteristic TCM therapy, acupuncture regulates the circulation of meridians and qi-blood by stimulating specific acupoints. It can effectively relieve knee pain, improve joint function, and have high safety. This article reviews the clinical research progress of acupuncture in the treatment of KOA pain in recent years, analyzes the application characteristics and efficacy differences of different acupuncture therapies, and prospects the future research directions in the formulation of standardized diagnosis and treatment protocols and in-depth exploration of action mechanisms, so as to provide references for clinical practice.