Q&A

Acupuncture effective for osteoarthritis of the knee

J Fam Pract. 2005 March;54(3):199-206
Author and Disclosure Information

  • CLINICAL QUESTION: Is acupuncture effective in decreasing pain and improving function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee?
  • STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial (double-blinded)
  • ALLOCATION: Concealed
  • SETTING: Outpatient (any)
  • SYNOPSIS: This is the largest and most rigorous study to date of the effect of acupuncture in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The authors enrolled 570 patients who had radiologic and clinical evidence of osteoarthritis of the knee and who had not had any intra-articular injections.
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BOTTOM LINE

Acupuncture, as compared with sham acupuncture treatment or no treatment, decreases pain scores by an average of 40% and improves function similarly in patients who stick with it. The acupuncture used in this study was based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine meridian theory and was used for the entire 6 months of the study. (LOE=1b)

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