| Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of moxa smoked moxibustion in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis ( KOA ) patients with swelling type.Method: The patients with KOA swelling type who were treated in our hospital from June 2023 to June 2025 were selected as the research objects. The experimental design of prospective cohort study was adopted. The exposure group and the non-exposure group were grouped according to 1 : 1, and 54 cases were expected to be included in each group. Considering the 10 % loss of follow-up rate, 60 cases in each group, a total of 120 patients were included. The non-exposed group received routine acupuncture combined with drug treatment, and the exposed group received moxa smoked moxibustion on the basis of routine treatment. Both groups were treated continuously for 4 weeks. The clinical efficacy, TCM syndrome score, hospital for special surgery knee score ( HSS ), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index ( WOMAC ), pain score index ( VAS ) and serum inflammatory indexes [ high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( hs-CRP ), tumor necrosis factor-α ( TNF-α ), interleukin-6 ( IL-6 ), interleukin-17 ( IL-17 ), erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( ESR ), white blood cell count ( WBC ), platelet count ( PLT ) ] and adverse reactions, were compared between the two groups.Results： The total effective rate of the exposed group was higher than that of the non-exposed group ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the TCM syndrome score, WOMAC score and VAS score of the exposed group were lower than those of the non-exposed group ( P < 0.05 ), and the HSS score was higher than that of the non-exposed group ( P < 0.05 ). After treatment, the levels of hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17, ESR, WBC and PLT in the exposed group were lower than those in the non-exposed group ( P < 0.05 ). Conclusions： The clinical effect of moxibustion on KOA patients with swelling type is significant. It can effectively improve the clinical symptoms, improve the function of knee joint, reduce the degree of pain, reduce the inflammatory reaction, and has high safety. |