Tui-na and Oral Chinese Medicine on KOA

The subjects will come for a screening visit at week 0 (baseline), then at week 2, week 4, and week 8 for Chinese medicine practitioner (CMP) investigators assessments. The Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) and EQ-5D-5L will be assessed and filled up at different timepoints. The treatment group will receive both Tui-na and study medication and the wait-list control group will receive Tui-na alone. CMPs will provide consultation under Chinese medicine theory. Study medication compliance and adverse events will also be assessed at each visit.

Inclusion criteria

• of either gender (female must have either sterilization done or menopause)
• ≥50years of age
• meet the criteria of KOA according to the American College of Rheumatology

• Knee pain, and
• Any 4 of the following,

• ≥ 50 years of age
• Less than 30 minutes of morning stiffness
• Crepitus on active motion
• Bony tenderness
• Bony enlargement
• No palpable warmth of synovium
• Osteophytes (Radiographic findings)
• with WOMAC score ≥ 39
• with written informed consentform signed (for illiterate subjects, their next-of-kin or an impartial witness will sign with subjects' permission)

Exclusion criteria

• Known knee pain caused by infection, malignant or autoimmune diseases
• Knee surgery or arthroscopy in the past year
• Chondroprotective or intra-articular injection in the past 4 months
• Systemic corticoid treatment in the past 4 months
• Taking anticoagulants, antiplatelets, corticosteroids, psychiatric drugs, hormones, antiarrhythmic drugs or diuretics drugs
• Subject with uncontrolled hypertension
• Local antiphlogistic treatment, acupuncture, physiotherapy in the past 2 weeks
• Known history of mental disorder
• Known history of serious acute organic disease
• Renal or liver function impairment
• Known allergy to or have drug interaction with the study herb