Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis Pain
Osteoarthritis is a wear and tear related joint degeneration, which occurs with increasing frequency to people over 65 years old. 43.7% of people over 80 years old have developed osteoarthritis related knee, neck and back pain, according to the Framingham Osteoarthritis Study. When Boston acupuncturists are treating knee, back or neck pain, they found that not everybody has the same level of pain with knee, lower back or neck osteoarthritis. Some people only have stiffness in the morning, other people have severe pain.
The pain level is not directly related with the structural changes in the knee, neck and low back joints. Why do some people have unbearable pain, other people only have stiffness and mild discomfort? Inflammation and circulation are the key pointers related to pain levels and the functionality of knee and other joints. If a person is physically active and has very little inflammation systemically, he or she can exercise regularly. The level of natural pain killer, such as endorphin, serotonin, GABA and dopamine in his or her body will be higher, with the result that she or he experienced much less pain and better knee or neck function.
On the other hand, people with diabetes, Raynaud’s, high blood pressure, allergies and thyroid condition have more swelling and inflammation in their joints. And their muscles are not as strong as people who exercise regularly. They would have more pain and depression due to decreased “happy’ hormones such as endorphin, serotonin, dopamine and GABA.
A review study published in Farm Community Health. 2008 by Terry Selfe et. al analyzed 10 randomized controlled Trials with 1456 participants. Researchers found that 8 out of 10 studies has been using the following acupuncture points: ST35, ST36, SP9, GB34, ST34, SP6, LI4, GB39, BL60, Kid3 and most studies involved 10 to 23 acupuncture sessions. The more frequent and longer acupuncture treatments are, the more pain relief patients can achieve. Some studies showed that the physical function was greatly improved with a minimum of 12 acupuncture treatments.
Why did some studies not show any significant changes, while other studies clearly showed acupuncture as a very effective treatment for knee, neck and low back pain related with osteoarthritis? Answer: the frequency, the modality of electro acupuncture and the number of total acupuncture treatments played important roles in the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for osteoarthritis. Clinically, patients will get better results if they can start acupuncture treatment twice or three times a week for 10 to 12 treatments, then once a week for another 12 treatments. When the pain level has decreased dramatically, patients can then receive treatments every 2 to 3 weeks in order to keep the muscles and ligaments balanced around their knee, neck and low back.
Boston Acupuncturists have over 35 years of clinical experiences to treat pain and other conditions such as allergies, diabetes, high blood pressure and AF. We use acupuncture, herbs and nutrition consultation to help people clear up the inflammation, improve the circulation and gut function so that your body can heal itself.
