Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2003; 8: 502
This study aimed to test the feasibility of conducting an RCT investigating the effect of individualised herbal medicine for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee in primary care.
The study design was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, RCT. Participants were recruited from two general practices in London and randomised to receive either (a) individualised herbal medicine or (b) placebo as well as three consultations with a herbalist over ten weeks and nutritional supplements.
Twenty participants were randomised; 10 received active treatment and 10 received placebo. Fourteen participants completed the trial (nine active vs. five placebo).
At baseline there was no significant difference between the mean scores of any WOMAC subscales in either the active or placebo groups. The absolute change in scores (calculated using t-tests) between endpoint and baseline were not found to be significant at p < 0.05. However, some change can be seen in Table 1 (a negative score denotes an improvement).
While there were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups for WOMAC, mean data of the active group show that individualised herbal medicine effected a greater improvement in the pain of OA than placebo.
Table 1.
| Treatment | N | Mean | Std. Deviation | t | Sig. (2-tailed) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Endpoint – Baseline WOMAC pain | Active | 9 | –81.00 | 149.54 | –1.11 | .28 |
| Placebo | 5 | 19.00 | 181.94 | |||
| Endpoint – Baseline WOMAC stiffness | Active | 9 | –47.56 | 65.31 | –1.00 | .33 |
| Placebo | 5 | –10.00 | 69.65 | |||
| Endpoint – Baseline WOMAC function | Active | 9 | –175.22 | 365.64 | –.96 | .35 |
| Placebo | 5 | 27.80 | 405.17 |
