Research Progress in Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a degenerative disease characterized by pathological changes in the cartilage and subchondral bone of the knee joint. Initially, knee joint pain is the main symptom, and in the later stages, deformities and mobility disorders may occur. Modern medicine lacks effective treatment methods for early and mid stage KOA, and has drawbacks such as significant side effects and high costs. A large number of studies have confirmed that traditional Chinese medicine has unique advantages in treating KOA, and has obvious advantages such as small trauma, low cost, and definite therapeutic effect, which are gradually being accepted by a large number of KOA patients. The commonly used methods for preventing and treating KOA with traditional Chinese medicine in clinical practice include: oral administration of traditional Chinese medicine, external application of traditional Chinese medicine, fumigation, acupuncture therapy, massage therapy for regulating tendons, and targeted penetration therapy of traditional Chinese medicine. According to relevant literature, traditional Chinese medicine can significantly alleviate knee joint symptoms and improve knee joint function in patients with knee osteoarthritis, which is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of knee osteoarthritis. This article provides a review of the research progress in the prevention and treatment of KOA using traditional Chinese medicine in recent years.