Objectives of Study:
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Taking the patients with knee osteoarthritis as the research object, with the help of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), to clarify the difference of therapeutic effect and brain function activity of acupuncture, placebo acupuncture and waiting treatment in the treatment of KOA, and to clarify the clinical efficacy and central specific mechanism of acupuncture on KOA, so as to reveal the central mechanism of acupuncture in the treatment of KOA.
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Inclusion criteria
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1. Male or female, aged 45–75 years;
2. Following the diagnostic criteria of knee osteoarthritis, and Right-handed;
3. Good compliance and willing to cooperate with the research;
4. Radiologic confirmation of knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren–Lawrence grade I-III);
5. The informed consent form was signed by the patient or by their immediate family members.
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Exclusion criteria:
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1. Complicated with other knee joint diseases, such as tuberculosis, tumor, rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis; 2. Complicated with sprain, contusion or other trauma, foot deformity, pain and other diseases affecting normal walking;
3. Patients with severe cardiovascular disease, damage of liver and kidney function, immune deficiency, diabetes mellitus, and blood disease;
4. Severe drug and alcohol dependence, mania or schizophrenia;
5. Patients with obvious headache, migraine, dysmenorrhea and other chronic pain diseases, history of head trauma;
6. Be insensitive to pain due to advanced diabetes, neuropathy or use of strong painkillers;
7. have knee pain caused by radiculopathy/herniation of an intervertebral disc;
8. Have a history of prolotherapy, hyaluronic acid injections or corticosteroids injections within 3 months;
9. have received acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, Tui-na therapy, massage, or physiotherapy 8 weeks prior to enrolment in the trial;
10. Have MRI contraindications such as claustrophobia, cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator, heart stenting, or intrauterine device.
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