Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2001; 6: 94–5
To demonstrate the benefit of acupuncture on symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.
Thirty patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis were randomised to three groups: (1) 10 acupuncture sessions only over 5 weeks; (2) 10 acupuncture sessions plus drug therapy over 5 weeks; (3) 5 weeks’ drug therapy followed by 10 additional acupuncture sessions. Symptoms were assessed at first visit, immediately after a course of manual acupuncture and electro-acupuncture, and at a follow-up visit 1 month later. Pain was measured by a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC–LK 3.0).
The results are presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Treatment of knee osteoarthritis
| First visit | After 5 weeks | Follow-up visit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall knee pain (VAS 10 cm) | |||
| 1. Acupuncture (n = 9) | 6.0 | 3.2* | 2.8 |
| 2. Acupuncture and drugs (n = 10) | 5.9 | 1.7* | 2.2 |
| 3. Drugs then acupuncture (n = 10) | 7.0 | 6.9 | 1.5* |
| WOMAC pain | |||
| 1. Acupuncture | 0.2 | 6.0* | 5.1 |
| 2. Acupuncture and drugs | 12.3 | 4.5* | 5.6 |
| 3. Drugs then acupuncture | 12.6 | 12.7 | 4.7* |
| WOMAC stiffness | |||
| 1. Acupuncture | 4.8 | 3.2* | 3.2 |
| 2. Acupuncture and drugs | 5.7 | 2.3* | 3.4 |
| 3. Drugs then acupuncture | 5.5 | 5.8 | 2.6* |
* Statistically highly significant compared with previous visit.
Acupuncture has profound lasting effects on pain and stiffness of knee osteoarthritis, alone or in addition to conventional drugs. These results now allow us to continue a research programme that dissects out the relative importance of the various components of the treatment process.
