Journal of Traditional Medical Complementary Therapies

.: ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Comparison of the Effectiveness of Physical Therapy Modalities and Wet Cupping Treatments in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Study
Diz Osteoartritinde Fizik Tedavi Modaliteleri ve Yaş Kupa Tedavisinin Etkinliğinin Karşılaştırılması: Randomize Kontrollü Çalışma
Fatih BAYGUTALPa , Ulviye KOCABAŞa , Nesim TÜĞENa , Merve YİĞİT OĞUZb,c, Yasemin ÇAYIRb,c, İbrahim Halil AKÇAYa , Nurcan KILIÇ BAYGUTALPd
aAtatürk University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Erzurum, Türkiye
bAtatürk University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, Erzurum, Türkiye
cAtatürk University Acupuncture and Complementary Medicine Methods Application and Research Center, Erzurum, Türkiye
dAtatürk University Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Biochemistry, Erzurum, Türkiye
J Tradit Complem Med. 2025;8(2):88-96
doi: 10.5336/jtracom.2024-106526
Article Language: EN
Full Text
ABSTRACT
 Objective: There is increasing interest in complementary treatment methods for knee osteoarthritis. There are a limited studies on the effectiveness of cupping therapy, in treating knee osteoarthritis. This study aimed to compare the short- and medium-term effectiveness of physical medicine and rehabilitation, wet cupping and exercise therapies in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in relieving pain and improving physical function. Material and Methods: Ninety patients with knee osteoarthritis were divided into 3 groups (n=30 per group). The 1st group received physical therapy and rehabilitation for 15 sessions, and the 2nd group received wet cupping therapy for 2 sessions 15 days apart. The 1st and 2nd groups were also given 12 weeks of home exercise therapy. Patients in the 3rd group were given a home exercise treatment program for 12 weeks. To compare the effects of therapies, visual analogue scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), range of motion (ROM) and Timed Up and Go (TUG) scores, which have important predictive values in knee osteoarthritis, were evaluated. Results: All three treatments improved the majority of the scores investigated at both week 4 and week 12. Cupping treatment was more effective than other treatments in terms of the VAS-rest score, VAS-movement score, WOMAC-stiffness score, WOMAC-total score, ROM-active score, and ROM-passive score in the 4th week. This effect continued for the WOMAC-total and ROM-passive parameters in the 12th week. Conclusion: Wet cupping treatment is more favorable than physical therapy in terms of fewer treatment sessions and better outcomes. Therefore, wet cupping therapy can be used effectively as an alternative to physical therapy in patients with knee osteoarthritis where possible.

Keywords: Cupping therapy; exercise; health; knee osteoarthritis; physical therapy modalities
ÖZET
 Amaç: Diz osteoartriti tedavisinde tamamlayıcı tedavi yöntemlerine olan ilgi artmaktadır. Kupa terapisinin diz osteoartriti tedavisindeki etkinliği hakkında sınırlı sayıda çalışma bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışma, diz osteoartriti tedavisinde fiziksel tıp ve rehabilitasyon, yaş kupa ve egzersiz terapilerinin ağrıyı hafifletme ve fiziksel işlevi iyileştirmedeki kısa ve orta vadeli etkinliğini karşılaştırmayı amaçlamaktadır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Diz osteoartriti olan 90 hasta 3 gruba ayrıldı (her grupta 30 hasta). Birinci grup 15 seans fizik tedavi ve rehabilitasyon aldı ve 2. grup 15 gün arayla 2 seans yaş kupa terapisi aldı. Birinci ve 2. gruplara ayrıca 12 haftalık ev egzersiz terapisi verildi. Üçüncü gruptaki hastalara 12 haftalık bir ev egzersiz tedavisi programı verildi. Tedavi etkinliklerini karşılaştırmak için diz osteoartritinde önemli öngörü değerleri olan görsel analog ölçeği (GAÖ), [Western Ontario ve McMaster Üniversiteleri Artrit İndeksi (WOMAC)], eklem hareket açıklığı (EHA) ve [Zamanlanmış Kalk ve Git Testi (TUG)] skorları değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Her üç tedavi de hem 4. haftada hem de 12. haftada araştırılan skorların çoğunu iyileştirdi. Kupa tedavisi 4. haftada VAS-dinlenme skoru, VAS-hareket skoru, WOMAC-sertlik skoru, WOMAC-toplam skoru, ROM-aktif skoru ve ROM-pasif skoru açısından diğer tedavilerden daha etkiliydi. Bu etki 12. haftada WOMAC-toplam ve ROM-pasif parametreleri için devam etti. Sonuç: Yaş kupa tedavisi daha az tedavi seansı açısından ve daha iyi sonuçlar vermesiyle fizik tedaviden daha uygundur. Bu nedenle mümkün olan durumlarda yaş kupa tedavisi diz osteoartriti olan hastalarda fizik tedaviye alternatif olarak etkili bir şekilde kullanılabilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Kupa terapisi; egzersiz; sağlık; diz osteoartriti; fizik tedavi modaliteleri
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