Acupuncture relieves pain in osteoarthritis

Acupuncture therapy along with the pain killer diclofenac can ease out the symptoms of osteoarthritis. The benefits of this treatment are greater relief from pain, easing of stiffness and improvement in physical functioning.Researchers from Spain conducted a clinical trial involving 97 patients with knee arthritis who were prescribed diclofenac, which could be taken up to three times per day. About half the group was given acupuncture once a week for 12 weeks, while others were given placebo treatment with retractable needles that did not perforate the skin.

Participants completed a standardised osteoarthritis index, a visual pain scale, and a quality-of-life profile before and after the study. Following the final treatment, the total osteoarthritis score averaged 9.5 in the acupuncture group and 33.4 in the placebo group. Those who were given real acupuncture also scored significantly lower on the subscales of pain, stiffness and function.

Final pain scores were 10.6 with acupuncture and 37.2 on sham treatment, and the active intervention group also took significantly less diclofenac. Active treatment led to significantly better quality-of-life scores for physical capability and psychological functioning.
The findings suggest that acupuncture, as a complementary therapy to pharmacological treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee, is more effective than pharmacological treatment alone.

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