Acupuncture works for knee osteoarthritis

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Proof that acupuncture works

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By Nic Fleming, Health Correspondent

(Filed: 21/12/2004)

 

Acupuncture significantly reduces pain and improves function in those

suffering osteoarthritis of the knee, according to research published

yesterday.

 

Patients who underwent the ancient Chinese needle treatment reported a 44

per cent average reduction in pain and a 40 per cent improvement in mobility.

Acupuncture

‘We have demonstrated that Chinese acupuncture is an effective complement

to arthritis treatment’

 

While acupuncture has been gaining mainstream acceptance, particularly for

pain relief, over the last decade the latest study is one of the largest

and longest to show such conclusive effects.

 

Brian Berman, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore,

said: " We have demonstrated that traditional Chinese acupuncture is an

effective complement to conventional arthritis treatment and can be

successfully employed as part of a multi-disciplinary approach to treating

the symptoms of osteoarthritis. " Acupuncture, which is at least 2,000 years

old, is based on the idea that energy flows along channels called meridians

in the body.

 

Practitioners say they block or stimulate these channels by inserting thin

needles at precise points. Some have suggested the ancient treatment works

by influencing the body's electromagnetic fields.

 

In Prof Berman's study, a group of 570 patients aged 50 or older suffering

from osteoarthritis of the knee was split into 190 who received

acupuncture, 191 who received a sham treatment simulating acupuncture and

189 who attended self-help lessons.

 

The volunteers were assessed at four, eight, 14 and 16 weeks. After eight

weeks, participants receiving acupuncture were showing an improvement in

mobility and by 14 weeks a significant decrease in pain.

 

They continued to receive standard medical care including non-steroidal

anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relievers. By the end of the trials, the

reported reduction in pain among those who had acupuncture was 44 per cent,

28 per cent for those who had sham treatment, and around 19 per cent for

the self-help group.

 

The improvements in mobility were 40 per cent for those who had

acupuncture, 33 per cent for the control group, and 20 per cent for the

self-helpers.

 

Previous research into the effectiveness of acupuncture has been criticised

because of the difficulty of faking needle insertion and therefore

providing a general control group.

 

The research, published in the American journal the Annals of Internal

Medicine, was funded by two groups who are part of the National Institutes

of Health in the United States.

 

Dr Stephen Straus, the director of the National Centre for Complementary

and Alternative Medicine, said: " 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. "

 

Dr Stephen Katz, the director of National Institute of Arthritis and

Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, said: " This disease is one of the most

frequent causes of physical disability among adults. "

 

Three in 10 adults in Britain suffer some form of arthritis or joint pain,

and two million patients visited their GPs complaining of osteoarthritis

this year.

 

A separate British study, also published in the Annals of Internal Medicine

yesterday, indicated that needle treatment appeared to help reduce neck pain.

 

George Lewith, a senior research fellow at the University of Southampton,

found that in a group of 124 patients aged 18 to 80 those given acupuncture

over 12 weeks reported a 72 per cent drop in neck pain, while those given

sham treatment reported a 60 per cent reduction.

 

Dr Lewith said: " Our study implies that most of the improvement gained from

acupuncture was not due to the needling process itself but due

predominantly to the non-specific yet powerful effects which are probably

part of the treatment process.

 

" Acupuncture is safe and effective in reducing pain. It also reduces the

intake of pain-killers – important in diminishing unwanted side-effects. "