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Acupuncture and Knee Pain

By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com

August 8, 2005

• Study: Acupuncture Beats Conventional Treatment for Back Pain • Acupuncture and Fibromyalgia • Acupuncture and Knee Pain • Study Finds Acupuncture No Help for Migraines

Can acupuncture help relieve knee pain? According to an article published in the journal Lancet, Doctors divided about three hundred people with osteoarthritis of the knees into three groups.

One received acupuncture, a second fake acupuncture and the third no acupuncture.

The patients were allowed to use anti-inflammatory and other pain medicines during the study. After a couple of months, the acupuncture group did the best. About half had a 50 percent reduction in pain and stiffness versus 28 percent of the fake acupuncture group and 3 percent of the untreated group.

Those in the acupuncture and fake group also took a lot less pain medicine. Six months after the treatments stopped everyone felt about the same.

Conclusions. The jury is still out on acupuncture and knee pain. Some studies show it helps but other don�t. It�s probably worth a try along with exercise, stretching, heat and pain medicine.

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