Efeitos da ventosa seca na dor, função física e qualidade de vida em mulheres com osteoartrite de joelho: um ensaio aleatorizado e cego

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Knee osteoarthritis, the most prevalent health condition in women, induces pain, functional disability, and substantial impact on the quality of life, imposing significant challenges in both public health and socioeconomic resources. Treatment for knee osteoarthritis encompasses various approaches, including non-pharmacological, pharmacological, and surgical interventions. Within the spectrum of non-pharmacological therapies, cupping therapy emerges as an alternative therapy that hypothetically aims to control symptoms associated with this population. However, recent systematic reviews highlight not only the lack of consensus on its effectiveness but also demonstrate a notable risk of methodological bias in studies involving patients with knee osteoarthritis. This gap in understanding and the presence of methodological limitations signal the need for more in-depth and robust investigations in individuals receiving this intervention with this health condition. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of dry cupping therapy on resting and moving pain in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. METHOD: A randomized, blind, allocation-concealed clinical trial with intention-to-treat analysis. Sixty-two clinically diagnosed women with knee osteoarthritis were randomized into two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group (n = 31) received the application of five (n=5) dry cups on the knee, and the control group (n = 31) underwent the same procedure but with a sham dry cupping therapy without vacuum. Both interventions were administered twice (2x) a week for a period of 6 weeks, with sessions lasting 15 minutes. The primary outcome was resting and moving pain (Numeric Pain Rating Scale), and secondary outcomes included knee health status (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index), quality of life (Short-form 36), functional capacity (30second Chair Stand Test, 40-meter Walk Test, 8-Step Stair Climb Test), and global perceived effect. Participants were assessed before the start of the intervention, after three and six weeks of treatment, and again one month after the interventions ended. A significance level of 5% and a 95% confidence interval were adopted for all statistical analyses. RESULTS: Both groups showed similar baseline characteristics. No statistically significant differences were identified between the groups regarding the primary outcome of resting pain intensity after 3 weeks (1.39, CI [-3.41; 0.64]), six weeks (-1.20, CI [(-3.17; 0.76)]), and ten weeks (-0.51, CI [(-3.01; 2.00)]). These results were corroborated in the secondary outcomes, where mean estimates and their confidence intervals excluded significant effects in all cases. These results suggest equivalence in responses between the experimental group and the control group over the evaluation period. CONCLUSION: Dry cupping therapy was similar to sham therapy in terms of reducing pain, disability, functional capacity, quality of life, or overall perceived effect in women with knee osteoarthritis.