However, the review acknowledges that there is still inconsistency among trial findings and that further research is needed to evaluate the effects of acupuncture and how it works. A review of 43 studies, conducted between 19 and reported in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, concluded that “acupuncture alone or combined with other treatment modalities is beneficial to the clinical conditions of RA and can improve function and quality of life, and is worth trying.” The review cites several possible ways acupuncture effects RA, including its anti-inflammatory effect, antioxidative effect and regulation of immune system function. Recent research suggests acupuncture may hold a beneficial role in treatment for some people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, these reported benefits are likely due at least partially to participants' greater expectations that acupuncture can help. One unblinded trial found that acupuncture as an addition to routine primary physician care was associated with reduced pain and improved function.
A 2018 Cochrane review of six studies evaluating acupuncture for hip OA concluded acupuncture probably has little or no effect in reducing pain or improving function compared to sham acupuncture in people with hip osteoarthritis. Even though patients offer anecdotal evidence that acupuncture has helped them, most studies have found acupuncture offers minimal pain and stiffness relief for osteoarthritis (OA). Here’s a look at some of the recent research that has been done: Other studies haven’t been as positive, and acupuncture’s benefits have been hard to prove because high-quality studies on the subject of arthritis and acupuncture have been limited. Berman and his colleagues found that after 26 weeks, patients receiving real acupuncture felt significantly less pain and functioned better (as measured by how far they could walk in six minutes) than their counterparts who received sham acupuncture. Acupuncture may stimulate activity of other pain-relieving chemicals in the body as well.īut do all these biochemical changes relieve sore, stiff joints? A study by Dr. Research also shows that inserting an acupuncture needle induces the production of cortisol, a hormone that helps control inflammation. Berman explains, producing a signal that travels along the spinal cord to the brain, triggering a release of neurotransmitters called endorphins and enkephalins, which scientists believe reduce the sensation of pain. “There’s a lot of research that says when we put an acupuncture needle into the body, a number of physiological mechanisms occurs,” says Brian Berman, MD, professor of family and community medicine and director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.Ī well-placed needle sets off a cascade of events, Dr. However, scientific evidence suggests alternate explanations for why acupuncture might provide pain relief. Western medicine doesn’t recognize the concepts of qi and meridians. Stimulating those points with needles, it is said, will correct the flow of qi and alleviate pain. More than 2,000 acupuncture points connect to the meridians. When the flow of this energy is blocked or out of balance, illness or pain results. The theory of acupuncture goes something like this: An essential life energy called qi (pronounced “chee”) flows through the body along 20 invisible channels called meridians. Research offers limited, but in some cases promising, evidence that acupuncture can help with arthritis symptoms. It’s been about 2,000 years in the making, but acupuncture has gained some mainstream acceptance as a medical modality.
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