Acupuncture helps Pain of Osteoarthritis

Research from Canada: Acupuncture helps pain of osteoarthritis
A meta-analysis undertaken by researchers at the University of Manitoba in Canada, shows that the use of acupuncture to manage osteoarthritis is associated with a significant reduction in symptoms. The authors looked at twelve trials involving a total of 1763 participants, published over a 24 year span, and which compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture, no treatment or usual care. Nine trials were conducted in physiotherapy outpatient departments and three were conducted in GP practices.

Acupuncture was found to be associated with significant improvements in pain intensity, functional mobility and health-related quality of life. Greater pain reduction was associated with acupuncture lasting more than four weeks. The authors conclude that current evidence supports the use of acupuncture as an alternative to the usual analgesics.

(Pain management with acupuncture in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 23 August 2014.)

Author: Robin Costello

I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training. I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.