Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions of people around the world. It most commonly affects joints of hands, neck, lower back, knees and hips. Osteoarthritis is also called wear-and-tear arthritis. It occurs when the protective cartilage in your joints wears down over time. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that worsens over time. Joint pain and stiffness may become severe enough to make daily tasks difficult. Some people are no longer able to work. When joint pain is this severe, doctors may suggest joint replacement surgery.
Osteoarthritis gradually worsens with time. Although there is no cure for the condition, many treatments can slow the progression of the disease, relieve pain and improve joint function.
According to the theory of Chinese medicine, osteoarthritis is the result of Kidney deficiency, ivasion of wind, cold and dampness, and stagnation of qi and blood. Acupuncture treatments will strenthen the body, eliminate wind, cold and dampness and promote the circulation of qi and blood to stop pain and strengthen the joints.
Acupuncture provides pain relief and improves function of joints affected by the osteoarthritis. The most famous study was a clinical trial using acupuncture to treat knee osteoarthritis. This landmark 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 National Institutes of Health. The findings of the study — the longest and largest randomized, controlled phase III clinical trial of acupuncture ever conducted — were published in the December 21, 2004, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Acupuncture provides pain relief and improves function for people with osteoarthritis of the knee and serves as an effective complement to standard care.
- A 2014 Australian clinical study involving 282 men and women showed that needle and laser acupuncture were modestly better at relieving knee pain from osteoarthritis than no treatment, but not better than simulated (sham) laser acupuncture. Participants received 8 to 12 actual and simulated acupuncture treatments over 12 weeks. These results are generally consistent with previous studies, which showed that acupuncture is consistently better than no treatment but not necessarily better than simulated acupuncture at relieving osteoarthritis pain.
- A major 2012 analysis of data on participants in acupuncture studies found that actual acupuncture was more helpful for osteoarthritis pain than simulated acupuncture or no acupuncture.
- A 2010 systematic review of studies of acupuncture for knee or hip osteoarthritis concluded that actual acupuncture was more helpful for osteoarthritis pain than either simulated acupuncture or no acupuncture. However, the difference between actual and simulated acupuncture was very small, while the difference between acupuncture and no acupuncture was large.
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/introduction#hed4
In Dr. Xie’s acupuncture clinic, we have helped many patients with osteoarthritis by using a comprehensive protocol. The protocol involves acupuncture, nutritional supplements and Chinese herbs and is used to reduce joint pain and strengthen the joints. The protocol does not cure your osteoarthritis, but it can reduce the joint pain, improve muscle strength related to the affected joint, increase the range of motion of the affected joint, and prolong the life of the joint before joint replacement surgery is needed.
Reference:
NIH News Acupuncture Relieves Pain and Improves Function in Knee Osteoarthritis