Acupuncture and knee osteoarthritis
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Osteoarthritis of the knee affects many individuals in industrialized societies and is non-curable.1 Conventional treatment is primarily by way of anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics, combined with social support and physiotherapy. However, this treatment is often ineffective and may also have adverse side effects. Acupuncture is often cited as another option, one that either reduces the dose of conventional drug therapy or avoids the use of medication altogether. Past trials evaluating whether acupuncture is helpful have been inconclusive. A recent 26-week study, involving 1007 patients and funded by German social health care insurance organizations, investigated the efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese acupuncture, sham acupuncture (= acupuncture at non-acupuncture points), and non-acupuncture based, conventional multi-modal therapy. The trials showed that both acupuncture methods, traditional or sham, were more effective in controlling pain and function than conventional treatment alone. The fact that sham acupuncture is also effective is intriguing and remains to be investigated further.
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