Comparison of the Efficacy between Conventional Moxibustion and Smoke-Free Moxibustion on Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Table 1

Baseline characteristics by study group.

Characteristic	CM	SM	All Participants
	(n=69)	(n=70)	(n=139)
Demographic Characteristic
Female sex, No. (%)	54(78)	53(77)	107(76)
Age, mean (SD), y	60.7(9.0)	58.2(8.0)	59.9(8.4)
Height, mean (SD), cm	159.9(6.6)	160.1(7.5)	159.7(6.9)
Weight, mean (SD), kg	61.3(14.2)	63.7(10.3)	62.7(11.0)
BMI, mean (SD)	24.9(3.6)	24.2(3.7)	24.5(3.6)
Symptom duration, No. ()
<1 y	2(3)	3(4)	5(4)
1 to <5 y	44(64)	36(53)	80(58)
5 to<10 y	13(19)	16(23)	29(21)
≧10 y	10(14)	14(20)	24(17)
Medication use, No. ()
Glucosamine products	7(10)	7(10)	14(10)
Analgesia	3(4)	1(1)	4(3)
Past treatment, No. ()
Moxibustion	3(4)	1(1)	4(3)
Acupuncture	0	1(1)	1(1)
Injections	1(1)	0	1(1)

Abbreviations: SM, Smoke-Free Moxibustion; CM, Conventional Moxibustion; BMI, Body Mass Index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared).