Efficacy of leech therapy in the management of osteoarthritis (Sandhivata)
Rai PK, Singh AK, Singh OP, Rai NP, Dwivedi AK (2011) · Ayu · n=25
Studienprofil
- Design
- single-center, open-label clinical trial within the Ayurvedic Jalaukavacharana (leech therapy) framework (Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India)
- Stichprobengröße (n)
- 25
- Intervention
- Jalaukavacharana (Ayurvedic leech therapy with Hirudo medicinalis) applied to painful periarticular sites of the affected joint over multiple sessions
- Komparator
- Within-subject pre/post comparison without a randomized control arm (descriptive efficacy assessment)
- Primärer Endpunkt
- Symptomatic improvement in pain and joint mobility in patients with osteoarthritis (Sandhivata, a Vatavyadhi condition in Ayurvedic classification)
- Primäres Ergebnis
- Encouraging clinical improvements reported in pain and mobility following leech therapy in osteoarthritis patients (descriptive, no inferential statistics on between-group comparison)
- Follow-up-Dauer
- follow-up over the treatment course (specific weeks not standardized)
- PMID
- 22408305
Wichtigste Ergebnisse
- First Indian Ayurvedic clinical evaluation of Jalaukavacharana for osteoarthritis (Sandhivata) indexed in PubMed
- Positions leech therapy within the Raktamokshan (bloodletting) parasurgical paradigm of Ayurveda
- Attributes mechanism to anti-inflammatory and anaesthetic substances in leech saliva consistent with modern biochemistry
- Cited as supportive evidence for use of leech therapy in degenerative joint disease as a low-side-effect alternative to NSAIDs
- Reported as encouraging by authors; no inferential between-group statistical tests provided due to within-subject design
Einschränkungen
- Not a randomized controlled trial - within-subject descriptive evaluation only
- No defined control comparator arm; pre/post within-subject design only
- Small sample (typical Ayurvedic clinical evaluation cohort)
- Outcome measures not standardized to WOMAC, VAS, or other validated OA instruments
- Single Ayurvedic teaching institution - generalizability to broader OA populations limited
Klinische Implikationen
Rai 2011 is the most-cited Indian Ayurvedic clinical evaluation of Jalaukavacharana for osteoarthritis, providing methodological context for understanding leech therapy as practiced in the Ayurvedic regimental therapy tradition rather than as a standalone intervention. The study is a within-subject descriptive evaluation, not an RCT, and is included in this registry as 'preliminary' grade to document the cross-cultural evidence base while preserving GRADE discipline. For clinicians integrating traditional and modern medicine, the trial illustrates how leech therapy is positioned within Ayurvedic concepts of Vata imbalance and bloodletting; for evidence-based hierarchy purposes, it should be cited alongside (not in place of) the German RCT body.
Verwandte Studien
Effectiveness of leech therapy in osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, controlled trial
Michalsen A, Klotz S, Lüdtke R, Moebus S, Spahn G, Dobos GJ (2003)
Leech therapy for symptomatic treatment of knee osteoarthritis: results and implications of a pilot study
Michalsen A, Moebus S, Spahn G, Esch T, Langhorst J, Dobos GJ (2002)
Effectiveness of topical gel of medical leech (Hirudo medicinalis) saliva extract on patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial
Shakouri A, Adljouy N, Balkani S, Mohamadi M, Hamishehkar H, Abdolalizadeh J, Kazem Shakouri S (2017)
Randomised controlled trial with medical leeches for osteoarthritis of the knee
Stange R, Moser C, Hopfenmueller W, Mansmann U, Buehring M, Uehleke B (2012)