Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common arthritis among Americans, and most of it is in the knee. The purpose of a 1999 study is to show if acupuncture, used with medication, can relieve pain and improve function so patients can be active again.

A licensed acupuncturist places needles in specific body locations, according to Chinese medicine. Then electrical stimulation is used. This triggers a biochemical reaction which is naturally produced by the body. There are twenty four treatments given twice a week; then, after a month, the treatments are given once a week.

The result is 40% improvement of pain and function from patients’ baseline scores. The patients don’t see the results right away. Pain is improved fourteen weeks after treatment, and function is improved eight weeks after treatment. And it has been documented that the relief is short term only.

The patients have reported no side effects from the acupuncture treatments. This proves that acupuncture is a safe treatment.

Andrew Moore, one of the head researchers, has his doubts about the benefits of acupuncture. The results in the clinical study, he contends, were artificial. He ponders the cost-effectiveness and the need for needles.

Nadine E Foster (senior lecturer in therapies in pain management) sees no significant improvement in pain scores. She says that the small benefits and the treatment’s unpleasantness make acupuncture ineffective.