# Transdermal delivery of traditional Chinese medicine patch vs. NSAIDs patch for alleviating inflammation and relieving pain for early-stage knee osteoarthritis: a retrospective case control study

## TL;DR

This study compares a traditional Chinese medicine patch and an NSAID patch for treating early-stage knee osteoarthritis, finding both equally effective in reducing pain and inflammation.

## Contribution

The study provides evidence that a TCM transdermal patch is as effective as an NSAID patch for short-term treatment of early knee osteoarthritis.

## Key findings

- Both TCM and NSAID patches significantly reduced pain in early-stage knee osteoarthritis patients.
- Inflammatory markers like TNF-α and ESR were similarly reduced by both treatment groups.
- The TCM patch offers a comparable alternative to NSAID patches for managing early knee osteoarthritis.

## Abstract

The effects of transdermal delivery of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) patch for early-stage knee osteoarthritis (EKOA) is unclear.

This study is aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of a type of TCM topical drug-Xiaotong patch with NSAIDs topical drug-flurbiprofen patch to treat EKOA.

This retrospective case control study included 42 EKOA patients from October 2023 to September 2024. Patients were divided into Xiaotong patch group and flurbiprofen patch group. The baseline characteristics, such as demographic and epidemiological information were collected. The main outcome measured was the alteration in Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score following treatment. The secondary outcomes included inflammatory markers, like cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR).

The 42 EKOA patients were divided into two groups averagely. They received the transdermal patch therapy daily for 14 days. The primary outcome-pain assessment based on VAS score showed a prominent decrease in both groups compared with the values before treatment (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between groups after treatment (P > 0.05). For the secondary outcomes, TNF-α and ESR were included for evaluating the pre- and post-treatment findings. The results also indicated the inflammatory conditions were alleviated by transdermal delivery of drugs from TCM patch or NSAIDs patch. Similarly, the data showed a comparable anti-inflammatory effect between groups (P > 0.05).

The TCM transdermal patch exerts a similar effect on the EKOA in the aspects of pain relief and regulating inflammation for a short-term treatment as NSAIDs patch. It may provide an alternative for clinical management of EKOA.