UTILIZATION OF ACUPUNCTURE-MOXIBUSTION FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY OF 1,245 CASES AT MULTIPLE CENTERS IN HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a leading cause of pain and disability worldwide. Acupuncture-moxibustion, a widely practiced traditional and complementary medicine approach, has demonstrated efficacy in KOA. This study aims to investigate the clinical application of these techniques in KOA treatment. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at three traditional medicine centers in Ho Chi Minh City from January 2024 to January 2025. Patients receiving acupuncture-moxibustion for KOA were systematically sampled, with a total of 1,245 cases included in the final analysis. Data collection involved recording acupuncture-moxibustion techniques, adjunctive treatments, and patient characteristics. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize treatment patterns, and network analysis was performed to identify common technique combinations. Results: Seven acupuncture-moxibustion techniques were identified, with electroacupuncture (EA) being the most frequently used (54.9%), followed by thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) (34.8%). Other techniques, including auricular acupuncture, filiform needle acupuncture, warm acupuncture, moxibustion, and laser acupuncture, were used less frequently (1.0–6.4%). Most acupuncture-moxibustion techniques were applied individually, with only 8.0% of cases involving combinations. Acupuncture-moxibustion was integrated with adjunctive methods in 97.3% of cases, primarily herbal medicine, physical therapy, and tuina. The most common combination was EA with herbal medicine and physical therapy (14.9%). Conclusion: Acupuncture-moxibustion methods used were not diverse, with EA and TEA being predominantly applied in KOA treatment. Acupuncture-moxibustion techniques were rarely combined, whereas most cases integrated multiple adjunctive methods. These findings highlight the need for further research on the effectiveness of acupuncture-moxibustion combinations and the factors influencing treatment selection to optimize KOA management.