Acupuncture shows clinically significant improvements for patients with knee OA

According to researchers in the United Kingdom, acupuncture may be a clinically successful, cost-effective alternative to knee surgery for patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Adrian White, BM, BCh, MD, and colleagues from the Department of Primary Care at Peninsula Medical School at Plymouth University in Plymouth, United Kingdom, published their results online in Acupuncture in Medicine.

“This is the first evaluation of nurse-led group (multibed) acupuncture clinics for patients with knee osteoarthritis to include a 2-year follow-up,” White and colleagues wrote in their study abstract. “It shows the practicability of offering a low-cost acupuncture service as an alternative to knee surgery, and the service’s success in providing long-term symptom relief in about a third of patients.”

All patients included in the study were eligible for surgery and had symptoms such as chronic pain and inability to walk long distances, according to the release. Of the 114 patients offered to undergo acupuncture, 90 accepted.

Patients attending acupuncture sessions had an average age of 70 years and were treated in clinic once a week for 1 month before scaling back treatment to a session once every 6 weeks. According to a press release, each patient received an average of 16.5 treatments.

The investigators studied patients’ symptoms, function and well-being using the Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile, and assessed their baseline characteristics and program attendance.

After 1 year of acupuncture, 41 patients were still attending sessions; after 2 years, 31 patients remained in the sessions.

The patients had clinically significant improvements in pain, stiffness and function at 1 month, which continued for 2 years. Investigators found no significant changes in well-being scores, according to the abstract.

A single acupuncture session costs the National Health Service £20, White noted in the release, while surgery for knee osteoarthritis costs £5,000.

Reference:

White A, Richardson M, Richmond P, et al. Group acupuncture for knee pain: Evaluation of a cost-saving initiative in the health service. Acupunct Med. 2012. Published online. doi:10.1136/acupmed-2012-010151.