Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2004 Nov 20;329(7476):1216.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.38238.601447.3A. Epub 2004 Oct 19.

Acupuncture as a complementary therapy to the pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: randomised controlled trial

Jorge Vas  1 , Camila Méndez, Emilio Perea-Milla, Evelia Vega, María Dolores Panadero, José María León, Miguel Angel Borge, Olga Gaspar, Francisco Sánchez-Rodríguez, Inmaculada Aguilar, Rosario Jurado
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Acupuncture as a complementary therapy to the pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: randomised controlled trial

Jorge Vas et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objectives: To analyse the efficacy of acupuncture as a complementary therapy to the pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, with respect to pain relief, reduction of stiffness, and increased physical function during treatment; modifications in the consumption of diclofenac during treatment; and changes in the patient's quality of life.

Design: Randomised, controlled, single blind trial, with blinded evaluation and statistical analysis of results.

Setting: Pain management unit in a public primary care centre in southern Spain, over a period of two years.

Participants: 97 outpatients presenting with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Interventions: Patients were randomly separated into two groups, one receiving acupuncture plus diclofenac (n = 48) and the other placebo acupuncture plus diclofenac (n = 49).

Main outcome measures: The clinical variables examined included intensity of pain as measured by a visual analogue scale; pain, stiffness, and physical function subscales of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index; dosage of diclofenac taken during treatment; and the profile of quality of life in the chronically ill (PQLC) instrument, evaluated before and after the treatment programme.

Results: 88 patients completed the trial. In the intention to treat analysis, the WOMAC index presented a greater reduction in the intervention group than in the control group (mean difference 23.9, 95% confidence interval 15.0 to 32.8) The reduction was greater in the subscale of functional activity. The same result was observed in the pain visual analogue scale, with a reduction of 26.6 (18.5 to 34.8). The PQLC results indicate that acupuncture treatment produces significant changes in physical capability (P = 0.021) and psychological functioning (P = 0.046). Three patients reported bruising after the acupuncture sessions.

Conclusions: Acupuncture plus diclofenac is more effective than placebo acupuncture plus diclofenac for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Location of selected acupuncture points
Fig 2
Fig 2
Flow of participants through the trial
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Creamer P, Hochberg MC. Osteoarthritis. Lancet 1997;350: 503-8. - PubMed
    1. Felson DT. The epidemiology of knee osteoarthritis: results from the Framingham osteoarthritis study. Semin Arthritis Rheum 1990;20(3 suppl 1): 42-50. - PubMed
    1. Vas J, Perea-Milla E, Mendez C. Acupuncture and moxibustion as an adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee—a large case series. Acupunct Med 2004;22(1): 23-28. - PubMed
    1. Perrot S, Menkes CJ. Nonpharmacological approaches to pain in osteoarthritis. Available options. Drugs 1996;52(suppl 3): 21-6. - PubMed
    1. Ferrandez IA, Garcia OL, Gonzalez GA, Meis Meis MJ, Sanchez Rodriguez BM. [Effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of pain from osteoarthritis of the knee]. Aten Primaria 2002;30(10): 602-8. (In Spanish.) - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances