New Research Concerning Effectiveness of Acupuncture with Knee Osteoarthritis

Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Yesterday on Dr. Dean Edell's radio show on KGO 810 AM, Dr. Edell questioned the validity of acupuncture with a recent randomized double-blind study of acupuncture on knee arthritis. Dr. Edell summarized that it was a double-blind study so that the doctor could not influence the results. When the doctor said that the treatment would work well, the patient had better results than when the doctor said that the acupuncture may or may not work on knee arthritis. The study seems to back up another study in 2007 by the German journal, Archives of Internal Medicine. Dr. Edell said that patients should try alternative medicine in general because patients do have good results with back pain in particular instead of just taking pain medication with limited results. He back away from this when a called questioned validating a method that has not been proven to be effective. Questions rose when a recent article in the journal Arthritis Care and Research concluded that:

TCA was not superior to sham acupuncture. However, acupuncturists' style had significant effects on pain reduction and satisfaction, suggesting that the analgesic benefits of acupuncture can be partially mediated through placebo effects related to the acupuncturist's behavior.
(the American College of Rheumatology)

My personal opinion is that there may be something to the meridian theory having experienced this by only one master acupuncturist out of several doctors. I actually did feel a "deep pressure" along a leg meridian with a light, shallow needle. It definitely was not a placebo and I know what nerve pain feels like. Whether or not acupuncture can help with all conditions claimed is another issue that I am trying to keep an open mind about. The main problem may be that they have not been able to make a perfect fake or "sham" acupuncture when there is no question that acupuncture helps with pain. I have found other studies in 2002 and 2005 having similar results as above. I also found another article concluding that acupuncture cannot make changes to flexibility or the tightness of the muscle but helped with pain.


ChiroWorks Care Center
Anthony Tsai, D.C.
Chiropractor in San Jose, CA
ChiroWorksCareCenter.com
Graston Technique Certified
FAKTR-PM Completed

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References:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acr.20225/abstract
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/back-pain-moving-the-needles/
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/167/17/1892?lookupType=volpage&vol=167&fp=1892&view=short
http://www.jpain.org/article/S1526-5900(05)00362-7/abstract
http://www.biomedexperts.com/Abstract.bme/11889662/Acupuncture_and_sham_acupuncture_reduce_muscle_pain_in_myofascial_pain_patients
http://www.kgoam810.com/showdj.asp?DJID=3542
http://www.premiereradio.com/shows/view/Dr_Dean_Edell.html
http://www.healthcentral.com/drdean/408/more_index_1_11_33.html