Acupuncture Treatment For Arthritis

Acupuncture therapists claim that they can help relieve pain in people who are suffering from arthritis. A study conducted a few years ago on treating arthritis in the knee proved without a doubt that using acupuncture on arthritis pain will not only reduce the pain but it will also improve function of that joint. After years of ridicule from practitioners of western medicine who were not able to understand this very old Chinese alternative medicine it has not only gained acceptance in the public eye, it has gained scientific acceptance. The public understands that it can relieve their pain which is why acupuncture use is widespread in the United States. But, the conclusion of this latest study shows that health care providers must open up more to the possibility of suggesting this therapy for their patients.

The recent study was conducted using nearly six hundred patients, all over fifty, who suffered from chronic knee pain due to arthritis. They were divided into three groups, each receiving a different treatment. The first group was treated with a normal acupuncture treatment plan. The second group was given fake acupuncture to determine how the idea of getting this treatment would affect them and the last were the control group. The control group used no medication but instead was instructed in how to make their chronic knee pain better by themselves through the use of cold packs, heating pads or exercises. The treatments began twice weekly for the first two months. Over the next eighteen weeks patients only required one weekly treatment. No one reported any side effects that were caused by the treatments.

The results were that forty four percent of the patients experienced significant decline in pain. Forty percent of the patients had an increase in motion and flexibility of the knee by the time they reached the fourteenth week of treatment. The researchers felt that the results of their study had shown that using acupuncture as a pain relief tool was effective. Further they promoted the idea that using this kind of treatment while following standard treatments from your health care provider was a good way of caring for those with chronic arthritis. They were not prepared to suggest it as the sole management of pain from arthritis but as a complimentary treatment they felt it was a more than adequate choice.

Acupuncture treatment for arthritis may be worth trying when you think about the possibility of reducing chronic pain from arthritis. It might mean that you could reduce your dependence on medication because you have found a safe, natural approach to pain management.