In my clinic, I have seen good results particularly with knee and shoulder arthritis, usually after just a few sessions. Acupuncture is effective for treating pain, but it is important for patients to understand that it can be slow and it will take time. Generally I tell patients with long-term chronic pain lasting pain for a year or more to see me twice a week for two weeks, or three times in ten days in order to see any results. It takes a patient a long time to develop a problem, so fixing it will not happen overnight, though often many patients enjoy relief after. Remember that arthritis is affected by damp and cold weather and can be aggravated by over-doing, inadequate rest, and diet. While acupuncture may not undo the structural changes in the body causing pain from osteoarthritis, it can encourage the body to heal itself. It encourages flow and moves stagnation, so the path to improvement is not always a straight trajectory. Additionally, herbal medicine for the pain and stiffness associated with arthritic pain will speed healing in patients where herbs are appropriate.
This article reports on a study in Germany of arthritis patients who received real acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Sham acupuncture is the use of needles that are off the channels, in areas not used in Oriental Medicine – or they are needles that do not penetrate the skin, and retract like a tiny stage dagger. Since the article is short, I have posted it here:
A clinical trial suggests that acupuncture can lead to reduced pain and improved joint functioning in arthritis. Osteoarthritis commonly affects the knee joint, leading to pain and disability. Many of those affected hope to be helped by acupuncture – particularly as there are safety concerns over non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
In a study from Berlin, a group of 300 patients with knee osteoarthritis received either real or sham acupuncture, or were placed on a waiting list. They received treatment for eight weeks and were followed for one year.
Analgesic use was similar for patients in all three groups. At eight weeks, patients given real acupuncture were better with respect to pain and mobility than those in the other two groups. But after a year, there was no difference between any of the groups. Therefore, acupuncture has at least limited benefit in arthritis of the knee. Further study is needed to see what must be done for the benefits to persist.”