Effect of a topical herbal cream on XXXX of the hand and knee: a pilot study.

@entity1 @entity571 @entity158 @entity2693
OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of an herbal ointment to a sham ointment for relieving @entity158 and @entity2693 associated with @entity571 of the hand and knee. METHOD: Single-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial conducted in 3 chiropractic medicine practices. Subjects were solicited from @entity1 attending the 3 centers. Selection of subjects with @entity571 of the hand or knee was based on the criteria developed by the American College of Rheumatology. Subjects were randomized to an active (n = 17) or a sham (n = 19) group. Subjects applied the herbal ointment to the affected joint(s) for 42 consecutive days and recorded level of @entity158 and @entity2693 daily on visual analog scales. RESULTS: Thirty subjects completed the study (15 active and 15 sham). Significant differences in @entity158 (P = 0.003) and @entity2693 (P = 0.0008) were found between the first 21 days of application and the last 21 days of application for the experimental group but not for the sham group. Gain scores between the experimental and sham groups were significant for @entity158 (P = 0.026) and @entity2693 (P = 0.042). CONCLUSION: An herbal ointment showed significant improvement in @entity158 and @entity2693 for @entity1 with hand and knee @entity571 who applied the ointment to the affected joint(s) for 42 consecutive days.
