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Osteoarthritis
Acupuncture Is
Beneficial for Knee Osteoarthritis
A new pilot study by the University of Maryland
School of Medicine shows what patients have known
for centuries… Acupuncture is beneficial for
knee osteoarthritis. According to the Department of
Health and Human Services, one in seven Americans
have some form of arthritis. The most common type is
osteoarthritis, affecting more than 16 million in
this country. Any joint can be affected, but the
feet, knees, hips and fingers are the most common.
Acupuncture is an accepted form of treatment for
arthritis in many parts of the world. Several
controlled studies have suggested its efficacy in
the treatment of painful musculoskeletal conditions.
Sixty-two patients with knee osteoarthritis received
acupuncture twice weekly for 8 weeks as part of a
randomized controlled trial. Subjects receiving
acupuncture showed a sustained improvement in pain
and function compared with those who received
standard care. No evidence was found that response
to acupuncture in knee osteoarthritis is affected by
depression, helplessness, self-efficacy, or
radiographic severity. Anxiety was weakly associated
with less reduction in pain, but no evidence of an
effect beyond 8 weeks was found. Subjects with
longer duration of symptoms respond as well (if not
better) than do those with recent onset of disease,
making acupuncture a logical treatment for patients
with long-standing osteoarthritis, even if it is
radiographically severe.
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