Acupuncture treatment helps patients with knee osteoarthritis

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