Comparative Effectiveness of Viddha-agnikarma in Managing Lower Back and Knee Joint Pain: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Viddha-agnikarma is a novel Ayurvedic method that combines Viddhkarma (piercing therapy) and Agnikarma (thermal cautery) to alleviate pain through targeted thermal stimulation. It offers an alternative pain management approach, particularly for chronic musculoskeletal conditions, by delivering localized relief without reliance on pharmacological treatments. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of Viddha-agnikarma in managing chronic pain associated with the lower back and knee joints in patients unresponsive to conventional therapies. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective intervention pilot study conducted at Department of Shalya Tantra, Mahatma Gandhi Ayurveda College, Hospital and Research Centre, Wardha, Maharashtra, India, from February 2024 to July 2024. It included 12 patients with persistent lower back or knee pain resistant to standard treatments. Each patient received Viddha-agnikarma therapy every three days, totaling seven sessions, with follow-up evaluations on day 21. Pain levels were assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at baseline, immediately post-treatment, and during follow-up. A comparison of the differences in initial and final mean scores was conducted, and the percentage improvement in pain scores was calculated to evaluate therapeutic efficacy. Results: The study included 12 patients: seven males and five females, all from rural areas, with a mean age of 58±5.9 in Group A and 54.8±8.4 in Group B. VAS scores indicated a reduction from 8 to 0.33 for Lower Back Pain (LBP), and from 8 to 4 for knee pain. Although patients experienced some improvement in knee pain, the outcomes were less consistent and varied across individuals, indicating a need for further research into Viddhaagnikarma’s efficacy for knee pain. Conclusion: Viddha-agnikarma emerged as a promising non pharmacological alternative for chronic pain management, particularly effective for LBP, with potential benefits over conventional treatments. This pilot study supports the integration of Viddha-agnikarma into Ayurvedic pain management practices. However, larger, randomised controlled trials are necessary to validate these findings and further explore its effectiveness, especially for knee pain management.