Objective To compare the efficacy differences between acupuncture and western medicine in treating osteoarthritis of knee joints.Methods One hundred and twenty cases were randomly divided into an acupuncture group and a western medication group with 60 cases in each group.In the acupuncture group,acupuncture was applied mainly at Nèixīyǎn（内膝眼 EX-LE 4）,Dúbí（犊鼻 ST 35）,Yīnlíngquán（阴陵泉 SP 9） and Yánglíngquán（阳陵泉 GB 34） plus other acupoints selected according to syndrome differentiation.In the medication group,Glucosamine Hydrochloride capsules were orally given 3 times daily with 2 capsules each time.Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index（WOMAC）,Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey（SF-36,Chinese version） were used to assess therapeutic effects before treatment,after 4 weeks treatment and 9 weeks after treatment,respectively.Results After 4 weeks of treatment,the total effective rates were 86.7%（52/60） and 88.3%（53/60） in the acupuncture group and the western medication group,respectively,without significant difference（P〈0.05）.In 9 weeks after treatment,the total effective rates were 83.3%（50/60） and 61.7%（37/60） in the acupuncture group and the western medication group,respectively,with significant difference between the two groups（P〈0.05）.According to WOMAC and SF-36,the scores were all improved in both groups（P〈0.05,P〈0.01）,with significant difference in follow-up visit of 9 weeks after treatment between the two groups（P〈0.05,P〈0.01）,but not after 4 weeks of treatments（both P〈0.05）.Conclusion Short-term of therapeutic effects of acupuncture and oral administration of Glucosamine Hydrochloride on osteoarthritis of knee joints are similar,but long-term efficacy in the acupuncture group is better than that in the western medication group.
