Clicical Effects of Ultrasound-Guided Acupotomy Combined with Proprioceptive Training on Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

<bold>Objective</bold>To investigate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided acupotomy combined with proprioceptive training in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA).<bold>Methods</bold>A total of 80 KOA patients treated in the Rehabilitation Department of Shanghai Seventh People's Hospital from March to September 2023 were selected and randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 40 cases in each group. Among them, the control group had 2 cases of dropout or termination due to patients being lost to follow-up during treatment, while the observation group had 1 case of dropout or termination due to patients being lost to follow-up during treatment. Ultimately, 38 and 39 cases were included in each group, respectively.The control group received ultrasound-guided needle knife therapy, 20 minutes per session, once daily, once weekly, lasting 4 weeks. The observation group received additional proprioceptive training, including passive and active repositioning training, BioDex balance training, and neuromuscular facilitation therapy for proprioception, with each training session lasting 10 minutes, once daily, five times weekly, for 4 consecutive weeks. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before and after treatment, knee function was evaluated using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), synovial thickness of the affected knee joint was measured with an ultrasound detector, and static fall risk index (SFI), dynamic fall risk index (DFI), and postural stability limit (LOS) were assessed using the Biodex balance testing system.<bold>Results</bold>(1)VAS, WOMAC scores, and synovial thickness: Compared with pre-treatment, both groups showed significant reductions in VAS, WOMAC scores, and synovial thickness post-treatment (P&lt;0.05). The observation group exhibited significantly lower VAS, WOMAC scores, and synovial thickness than the control group post-treatment (P&lt;0.05). (2) SFI, DFI, and LOS scores: Compared with pre-treatment, the observation group demonstrated significant decreases in SFI, DFI, and LOS scores post-treatment (P&lt;0.05), while the control group showed no statistically significant differences in these scores (P&gt;0.05). The observation group exhibited significantly lower SFI, DFI, and LOS scores than the control group post-treatment (P&lt;0.05). (3) Clinical efficacy: The observation group showed significantly higher clinical efficacy than the control group (U=460.0, P=0.004). (4) Safety: No adverse reactions such as wound infection or lidocaine allergy occurred during treatment in either group, and no adverse events like falls were reported in the observation group.<bold>Conclusion</bold>Ultrasound-guided needle knife combined with proprioceptive training can effectively alleviate pain, improve balance function and knee joint function in KOA patients, with good safety, making it worthy of clinical promotion and application.