Abstract
Chinese herbal patchs have not been extensively studied to date; thus, it is difficult to ascertain their clinical effects. In an effort to shed light on the potential risks and benefits of herbal patchs, our team designed a study to compare the safety and efficacy of the Chinese herbal patch Wan Yin Gao with an Indomethacin patch in the treatment of upper extremity tendonitis induced by Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).
In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, we recruited 64 patients with tennis elbow or de Quervain's disease from outpatient clinics at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The herbal patch, Wan Yin Gao, was given to the experimental group, while the Indomethacin patch was given to the control group; these were applied twice a day, six hours each time, over the course of two weeks. In both groups, we assessed the therapeutic effects via the parameters of range of motion, pain relief, and muscle strength, as well as monitoring the prevalence of adverse reactions.
There were 41 cases in the experimental group, with an average age of 40.4 (40.4±11.8). Twenty-three patients were assigned to the control group, with an average age of 40.7 (40.7±11.2). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, sex and severity. Tests utilizing the Visual Analogue Scale showed that the patients in the experimental group that had de Quervain's disease (p＜0.001; p=0.001) fared better than the other subgroups in terms of pain relief and range of motion. Muscle power was significantly improved after treatment in the control group (p=0.03), and tended to improve in the experimental group as well (p=0.09). Assessment based on the Medical Outcome Survey Short Form-36 revealed that the control group experienced greater pain relief (p=0.04); however, fewer adverse reactions were reported in the experimental group.
In conclusion, the herbal patch Wan Yin Gao and the Indomethacin patch used in this study demonstrated similar therapeutic effects based on clinical evaluation, with no significant difference in the prevalence of adverse effects.
In this double-blind, randomized controlled trial, we recruited 64 patients with tennis elbow or de Quervain's disease from outpatient clinics at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The herbal patch, Wan Yin Gao, was given to the experimental group, while the Indomethacin patch was given to the control group; these were applied twice a day, six hours each time, over the course of two weeks. In both groups, we assessed the therapeutic effects via the parameters of range of motion, pain relief, and muscle strength, as well as monitoring the prevalence of adverse reactions.
There were 41 cases in the experimental group, with an average age of 40.4 (40.4±11.8). Twenty-three patients were assigned to the control group, with an average age of 40.7 (40.7±11.2). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, sex and severity. Tests utilizing the Visual Analogue Scale showed that the patients in the experimental group that had de Quervain's disease (p＜0.001; p=0.001) fared better than the other subgroups in terms of pain relief and range of motion. Muscle power was significantly improved after treatment in the control group (p=0.03), and tended to improve in the experimental group as well (p=0.09). Assessment based on the Medical Outcome Survey Short Form-36 revealed that the control group experienced greater pain relief (p=0.04); however, fewer adverse reactions were reported in the experimental group.
In conclusion, the herbal patch Wan Yin Gao and the Indomethacin patch used in this study demonstrated similar therapeutic effects based on clinical evaluation, with no significant difference in the prevalence of adverse effects.
| Translated title of the contribution | Therapeutic Effects of Chinese Herbal Patch Wan-Yin-Gao on the Upper Extremity Tendinitis Induced by Repetitive Strain Injury |
|---|---|
| Original language | Chinese (Traditional) |
| Pages (from-to) | 89-99 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | 中醫藥雜誌 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 2&3 |
| Publication status | Published - 2005 |