Effect of electroacupuncture combined with Tuina therapy on gut microbiota in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Table 1 Demographic characteristics, n (%)

Characteristic	EA group (n = 30)	ET group (n = 30)	P value
Age (years), mean ± SD	64.25 ± 10.45	63.22 ± 5.85	0.794
Women	24 (88.89)	25 (89.29)	0.763
BMI (kg/m2), mean ± SD	23.94 ± 3.69	24.41 ± 2.02	0.733

EA: Electroacupuncture; ET: Electroacupuncture combined with Tuina; BMI: Body mass index.

Table 2 Outcomes at different time points

Outcome	EA group (n = 30)	ET group (n = 30)	P value
VAS
Baseline	7.03 ± 0.66	6.95 ± 0.44	0.561
T1	2.98 ± 0.39	2.07 ± 0.36	< 0.001
T2	3.44 ± 0.55	2.89 ± 0.75	< 0.001
WOMAC total scores
Baseline	82.47 ± 6.40	81.00 ± 4.68	0.262
T1	48.07 ± 8.22	38.4 ± 6.43	< 0.001
WOMAC pain
Baseline	17.16 ± 2.16	16.8 ± 2.37	0.507
T1	10.10 ± 2.09	9.01 ± 3.02	0.191
WOMAC stiffness
Baseline	6.50 ± 1.02	6.03 ± 0.91	0.132
T1	4.13 ± 1.06	2.77 ± 0.80	0.015
WOMAC function
Baseline	58.80 ± 4.00	58.03 ± 3.27	0.555
T1	33.80 ± 6.58	27.50 ± 4.85	< 0.001

EA: Electroacupuncture; ET: Electroacupuncture combined with Tuina; VAS: Visual analog scale; WOMAC: Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis index.

Table 3 Effective rate between groups after treatment

Groups	Cured	Markedly effective	Effective	Ineffective	Effective rate
EA group (n = 30)	0	3	25	2	93.33%
ET group (n = 30)	0	23	6	1	96.67%

EA: Electroacupuncture; ET: Electroacupuncture combined with Tuina.