Osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, is
the most common form of arthritis. It affects several joints but is more
frequently found in the knees, hips, neck and back, big toes and hands. Patients
with osteoarthritis often feel pain, stiffness with affected joints and discomfort
when doing certain activities. This is caused by the tissue inflammation surrounding
the joint, injury of the joint or slow bony growth around the edge of the joint.
The osteoarthritis development is associated with aging, joint injury and body
overweight in many cases. There are no disease-modifying treatments for osteoarthritis.
Exercise, changes in life style and loss of weight in some cases are
recommended.
Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of
osteoarthritis. The most commonly prescribed medication for knee osteoarthritis
is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Those drugs only relieve pain
temporarily but have serious side effects. Acupuncture is effective in treating
knee osteoarthritis. It is believed that acupuncture stimulation triggers
release natural chemicals in the body that exert pain-relieving and
anti-inflammation effects, without inducing side effects. A recent clinical trial
with 116 patients with knee osteoarthritis in Germany reported that acupuncture
treatment not only significantly reduced pain but markedly improved knee
flexibility in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Reference:
Karner M et al., Evid Based Complement Alternat
Med. 2013;2013:427265. doi: 10.1155/2013/427265. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=karner+m%2C+acupuncture
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