Efficacy and Safety of Fire-Meridian Stimulation Therapy for Early-Middle Stage Knee Osteoarthritis (Kellgren-Lawrence Grade 0-II): Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common degenerative joint disease that often requires prolonged use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which can cause potential side effects. Fire-Meridian Stimulation Therapy (FMST) is an external traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy using Huolongguan as a specialized instrument, which has been demonstrated to alleviate KOA symptoms. However, high-quality evidence supporting its efficacy and safety remains scarce. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of FMST for KOA.