Large Study Confirms Benefits of Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis
Studies have previously been done that point to the benefits of Acupuncture treatments for Osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Now, one of the largest studies done to date on the subject provides confirming evidence of the impact Acupuncture can have on enhancing a patient’s mobility and their quality of life.
Researchers at the University Medical Center of Berlin, Germany, recently concluded a study that involved 3,553 patients treated and followed over a 3-year period. The patients were divided into three groups: 322 immediately received up to 15 sessions of Acupuncture in the initial 3-month period; 310 who received no Acupuncture for the first 3 months; and an additional 2,921 (those who did not consent to randomization) who received the same treatment as the Acupuncture group.
“Patients with chronic pain due to OA of the knee or the hip who were treated with Acupuncture in addition to routine care showed significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life compared with patients who received routine care alone,” the authors state.
It was one of the largest randomized trials of Acupuncture to date. Based in part on these results, the German Federal Committee of Physicians and Health Insurers is considering a proposal that Acupuncture be reimbursed by state health insurance funds.
The additional benefit of the study points to the reduced need for using powerful anti-inflammatory drugs to treat Osteoarthritis. This will serve to eliminate many of the side effects often reported by patients who have to use these drugs.
The authors concluded that, “The present results show that, in patients with chronic pain due to OA of the knee or hip who were receiving routine primary care, the addition of Acupuncture to the treatment regimen resulted in a clinically relevant and persistent benefit.” The results were reported in the publication Arthritis & Rheumatism.