Arthritis

ACUPUNCTURE & KNEE ARTHRITIS
The longest and largest randomised, controlled phase III clinical trial of acupuncture ever conducted has found that acupuncture can significantly improve the symptoms of arthritis of the knee. The study of 570 patients was carried out at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The patients were randomly assigned to receive 23 treatments of either true or sham (no actual insertion of needles) acupuncture or a 12-week knee osteoarthritis education course. At the end of the study, the true acupuncture group had the greatest reduction (40%) in knee pain and the greatest improvement (nearly 40%) in knee function. The study was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), both components of the US National Institutes of Health. “For the first time, a clinical trial with sufficient rigour, size, and duration has shown that acupuncture reduces the pain and functional impairment of osteoarthritis of the knee,” said Stephen E. Straus, NCCAM Director. “These results also indicate that acupuncture can serve as an effective addition to a standard regimen of care and improve quality of life for knee osteoarthritis sufferers. (Ann Intern Med, Dec 2004; 141: 901-910.)

ACUPUNCTURE IMPROVES SYMPTOMS OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS
A blinded randomised trial of acupuncture has compared the effect of acupuncture with that of a non-penetrating sham in patients with osteoarthritic knee pain. Sixty-eight acupuncture naïve patients with symptomatic and radiological evidence of osteoarthritis of the knee were randomly allocated to a course of either acupuncture or non-penetrating sham acupuncture using a sheathed ‘placebo’ needle. Acupuncture points for pain and stiffness were selected according to TCM acupuncture theory for treating Bi syndrome. Both manual and electrical stimulation were used. Response was assessed using the WOMAC index for osteoarthritis of the knee. Comparison between the two treatment groups found a significantly greater improvement with acupuncture than with sham. Within the acupuncture group there was a significant improvement in pain, which was not seen by those who had sham acupuncture. One month after treatment, the between-group pain difference had been lost, although the acupuncture group still experienced benefit compared with baseline. (A blinded randomised trial of acupuncture (manual and electroacupuncture) compared with a non-penetrating sham for the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. Acupunct Med. 2008 Jun;26(2):69-78.)

ACUPUNCTURE EFFECTIVE FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS
A review, carried out by American researchers, of ten randomised, controlled trials (1456 participants) of acupuncture for osteoarthritis of the knee have concluded that it is an effective treatment for the pain and physical dysfunction caused by the condition. (Acupuncture and osteoarthritis of the knee: a review of randomized, controlled trials. Fam Community Health. 2008 Jul-Sep;31(3):247-54).