[Short needling for knee osteoarthritis with blood stasis obstruction and its effect on serum inflammatory factors].

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy and its effect on serum levels of tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α), interleukin 1β(IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and prostaglandin E (PGE) between short needling (close-to-bone needling) and conventional acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) with blood stasis obstruction.

Methods: A total of 68 KOA patients with blood stasis obstruction were randomized into a short needling group (34 cases, 3 cases dropped off) and a conventional acupuncture group (34 cases, 3 cases dropped off). The same acupoints (Dubi [ST 35], Neixiyan [EX-LE 4], Binzhong [Extra], Liangqiu [ST 34], etc.