Effect of Shi-Style Steaming and Bathing Decoction in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: Study Protocol for a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

Ran Zhang; Ya-Jie Lei; Sheng-Yue Wen; Jian Pang; Yue-Long Cao; Min Zhang; Hong-Sheng Zhan; Xun Lin; Bo Chen

doi:10.2147/JPR.S466741

Effect of Shi-Style Steaming and Bathing Decoction in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: Study Protocol for a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial

J Pain Res. 2024 Sep 5:17:2851-2860. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S466741. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Ran Zhang^{1

2}, Ya-Jie Lei^{1

2}, Sheng-Yue Wen^{1

2}, Jian Pang^{1

2}, Yue-Long Cao^{1

2}, Min Zhang^{1

2}, Hong-Sheng Zhan^{1

2}, Xun Lin³, Bo Chen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Shi's Center of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
² Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
³ Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Purpose: To prove more accurately that Chinese herbal bath therapy may be a safe, effective, simple alternative treatment modality for knee OA, we designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to explore the effectiveness of SSBD for the relief of pain, daily activities, and quality of life in patients with knee OA.

Patients and methods: A single-center, 52-week, randomized controlled trial of SSBD versus placebo is being performed. A total of 200 patients with symptomatic knee OA will be randomly allocated to the SSBD treatment or placebo intervention group for 4 weeks. The two groups of patients are allowed to steam and bathe their knees once every other day, using one packet of SSBD each time, for 30 minutes, 3 times a week, for a total of 4 weeks. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale at 4 weeks is the primary outcome measure, and the secondary outcomes include WOMAC stiffness and function scores, the Lysholm knee scale score, quality of life, the Brief Pain Inventory score, the Patient's Global Impressions of Improvement Scale score and the Clinical Global Impressions of Severity scale score. The safety of the herbal medications will also be evaluated.

Conclusion: We will discuss whether SSBD has greater advantages in terms of efficacy, safety, and patient overall perception than does placebo control in middle-aged and elderly patients with knee OA. The findings may provide new and valuable information about the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal bath therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

Keywords: balneotherapy; complementary and integrative medicine; knee osteoarthritis; randomized placebo-controlled trial; traditional Chinese medicine.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (no. 21Y11921600, 20MC1920600), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 81774340, 81973875) and Shanghai Key Clinical Specialty Program (shslczdzk03901). The funders did not have a role in the design and collection, analysis, interpretation of the results or publication of the current trial.