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Indian Journal of Ancient Medicine and Yoga 16(1):p 35-39, January – March 2023. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijamy.0974.6986.16123.4
Case Report
Leech Therapy as an Alternative Therapy for Osteoarthritis of the Knee Joint: A Case Series
Shiv Sagar, Tukaram Dudhamal, Manisha Kapadiya
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Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
Indian Journal of Ancient Medicine and Yoga 16(1):p 35-39, January – March 2023. | DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijamy.0974.6986.16123.4
How Cite This Article:
Dudhamal T, Sagar S, Kapadiya M. Leech Therapy as an Alternative Therapy for Osteoarthritis of the Knee Joint: A Case Series. Indian J Ancient Yoga. 2023;16(1):35-39.Timeline
Received : November 17, 2022
Accepted : December 19, 2022
Published : January 30, 2023
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) (degenerative joint disease) is the most common joint disorder. It mostly affects cartilage. The top layer of cartilage breaks down and wears away. Osteoarthritis is of two types, primary (idiopathic) and secondary. In idiopathic osteoarthritis, the most common form of the disease, no predisposing factor is apparent. Secondary OA is pathologically indistinguishable from idiopathic OA but is attributable to an underlying cause. The nonsteroidal anti–inflammatory drugs are the main drugs of choice in modern medicine which have lots of side effects and therefore are not safe for long-term therapy. Raktamokshan, i.e., bloodletting is one of the primeval and important para-surgical procedures defined in Ayurveda for the treatment of numerous diseases. Among them, leech therapy has expanded greater attention worldwide, because of its therapeutic values. The saliva of leech comprises numerous biologically active constituents, which have anti-inflammatory as well as anaesthetic belongings. This case series comprised five cases of knee joint osteoarthritis managed through two sittings of leech application at the interval of 15 days. Complete pain relief with normal range of motion of knee joint noticed after 1 month of treatment.Leech therapy is one of the remedies under investigation, given its claimed analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
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Data Sharing Statement
There are no additional data available. All raw data and code are available upon request.
Funding
This research received no funding.
Author Contributions
Whether all authors contributed significantly to the work and approve its publication.
Ethics Declaration
This article does not involve any human or animal subjects, and therefore does not require ethics approval.
Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to the patients, their families, and all those who have contributed to this study.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
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Cite this article
Dudhamal T, Sagar S, Kapadiya M. Leech Therapy as an Alternative Therapy for Osteoarthritis of the Knee Joint: A Case Series. Indian J Ancient Yoga. 2023;16(1):35-39.
Licence:
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
| Received | Accepted | Published |
|---|---|---|
| November 17, 2022 | December 19, 2022 | January 30, 2023 |
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21088/ijamy.0974.6986.16123.4
Keywords
Anti-inflammatoryAyurvedaJalaukaLeech therapyOsteoarthritisSearch for Similar Articles
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Timeline
| Received | November 17, 2022 |
| Accepted | December 19, 2022 |
| Published | January 30, 2023 |
licence
Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
This license enables reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
