Effect of Acupressure on knee pain and stiffness intensity in elderly patients with osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial

Osteoarthritis (OA) is oneof the leading causes of disability among older adults that causes joint stiffness, muscle weakness and decreased knee function.Acupressure is a non-invasive nursing intervention that causes energy balance in the body through massaging specific pressure points and improving comfort and health.
This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of acupressure on physical function of the knee among older adults with osteoarthritis.
The present study is a single blind randomized clinical trial conducted onall older adults with osteoarthritis of the knee living in nursing homes in west of Tehran. The sample size comprised 51 men and women over 60 years old from three nursing homes. All residents of each nursing home were randomly assigned to one of the three groups of real acupressurepoints , unreal acupressure points, and control groups.Both intervention groups received massage in form of 10 sessions of 15 minutes three days a week on 8 real and unreal points. WOMAC was usedto assess the knee function in patients before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed in SPSS19 statistical software using chi-square test, independent t-test, paired t-test and analysis of variance.
The three groups matched in terms of knee function before the intervention. However, the intervention led to significant differences in mean function of the knee (P Given the effectiveness of acupressure on improving knee function among older adults with osteoarthritis in the present study, it is recommended that this inexpensive, safe and simple procedure be used forolder adults with osteoarthritis of the knee.