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Effects of external qigong therapy on osteoarthritis of the knee

A randomized controlled trial

Clinical Rheumatology volume 27, pages 1497–1505 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

The objective of our study was to assess the efficacy of external qigong therapy (EQT), a traditional Chinese medicine practice, in reducing pain and improving functionality of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). One hundred twelve adults with knee OA were randomized to EQT or sham treatment (control); 106 completed treatment and were analyzed. Two therapists performed EQT individually, five to six sessions in 3 weeks. The sham healer mimicked EQT for the same number of sessions and duration. Patients and examining physician were blinded. Primary outcomes were Western Ontario MacMaster (WOMAC) pain and function; other outcomes included McGill Pain Questionnaire, time to walk 15 m, and range of motion squatting. Results of patients treated by the two healers were analyzed separately. Both treatment groups reported significant reduction in WOMAC scores after intervention. Patients treated by healer 2 reported greater reduction in pain (mean improvement −25.7 ± 6.6 vs. −13.1 ± 3.0; p < 0.01) and more improvement in functionality (−28.1 ± 9.7 vs. −13.2 ± 3.4; p < 0.01) than those in sham control and reduction in negative mood but not in anxiety or depression. Patients treated by healer 1 experienced improvement similar to control. The results of therapy persisted at 3 months follow-up for all groups. Mixed-effect models confirmed these findings with controlling for possible confounders. EQT might have a role in the treatment of OA, but our data indicate that all EQT healers are not equivalent. The apparent efficacy of EQT appears to be dependent on some quality of the healer. Further study on a larger scale with multiple EQT healers is necessary to determine the role (if any) of EQT in the treatment of OA and to identify differences in EQT techniques.

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Acknowledgement

This study was supported by a research grant (1R21AT02531) from the National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health to Kevin Chen (PI).

We sincerely thank Binhui He and Faxiang Hou for working as qigong healers in this study. Without their collaboration and hard effort, this study would not have been possible. We also thank Sophie Shen, Kara Moeller, Lei Zhong, Yanzhi Hu, Yufei Li, and Yunqiang Qi for their help in data collection and carrying out the proposed trial.

Conflict of Interest

None.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. UMDNJ—Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Kevin W Chen, Alex Lam, Joy Staller & Leonard H. Sigal

  2. Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 2200 Kernan Drive, Kernan Hospital Mansion, Baltimore, MD, 21207-6697, USA

    Kevin W Chen

  3. UMDNJ—School of Health Related Profession, Newark, NJ, USA

    Adam Perlman

  4. Drexel University School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jason G. Liao

Authors
  1. Kevin W Chen
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  2. Adam Perlman
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  3. Jason G. Liao
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  4. Alex Lam
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  5. Joy Staller
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  6. Leonard H. Sigal
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin W Chen.

Additional information

Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00104156

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Chen, K.W., Perlman, A., Liao, J.G. et al. Effects of external qigong therapy on osteoarthritis of the knee. Clin Rheumatol 27, 1497–1505 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-008-0955-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-008-0955-4

Keywords

  • Chinese medicine
  • Functionality
  • Knee osteoarthritis
  • Pain
  • Qigong
  • WOMAC