Researchers have found that walking gait patterns in people with osteoarthritis of the knee, can be significantly improved by acupuncture, probably the researchers believe, due to pain relief.
Twenty patients with osteoarthritis in both knees, were randomly assigned to receive either one thirty minute electro-acupuncture session, or a sham treatment as a control. The average change in pain score in the true treatment group was twice that of the control group. Furthermore, the treatment group showed significant increases in walking speed and step length, aswell as several joint angle and movement measurements. No significant equivalents were observed in the sham group.
(Immediate Effects of Acupuncture on Gait Patterns in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis. Chin Med J (Engl) Jan 2010.)
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.
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