Acupuncture for Arthritis Pain

Did you know that acupuncture can help reduce the pain associated with both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis?

These two types of joint pain have different root causes, but research shows that acupuncture can be helpful for both.

Osteoarthritis is joint pain that occurs when the cartilage inside the joint is worn down and no longer supporting/protecting the joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory condition which causes inflammation, degradation and fluid buildup of the joints. These, in turn, can cause pain, swelling, and sometimes joint deformity over time.

A look at some research for acupuncture for both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis:

(All research articles are referenced at the bottom of this post.)

In a 2019 randomized controlled trial, acupuncture was found to reduce pain and improve mobility in osteoarthritis of the knee, together with usual care (biomedicine, typically NSAIDs), compared to usual care alone.¹

In other words, if you’re managing your knee osteoarthritis with your MD, adding acupuncture can help reduce your pain levels even further.

In addition, a systematic review of osteoarthritis of the knee was carried out with similar results. A systematic review is when researchers compile all the data from studies on a specific topic and do their own statistical analysis to see the outcome.

The study, also completed in 2019, “reported the effectiveness of acupuncture on pain relief and functional recovery in patients with [knee osteoarthritis].” This study also noted that acupuncture had fewer adverse reactions (i.e., side effects) than western medical treatment.²

Although a lot of osteoarthritis research has been done specifically on the knee, I also have patients who have found it to be incredibly helpful in managing OA pain in other joints as well. For example, osteoarthritis of the hips, vertebrae of the neck or low back, and the hands.

In another recent study, researchers found that acupuncture had a positive effect on pain relief, physical function and health-related quality of life outcomes in rheumatoid arthritis patients.³

For reference, health-related quality of life or HRQOL is a research term defined by the CDC as, “an individual’s or a group’s perceived physical and mental health over time.” ⁴ Acupuncture was found to increase this measure of wellbeing over the course of treatment.

How does acupuncture work to reduce arthritis pain?

In general, it’s thought that acupuncture reduces both types of arthritis pain by reducing inflammation in the joints. For example, a 2018 study found that acupuncture stimulates innate immune cytokines (part of the immune system) to help reduce inflammation and therefore pain.⁵

How many treatments do I need for my arthritis?

A typical course of treatment for acupuncture is once a week for 6-8 weeks. Acupuncture is cumulative, meaning its effects increase over time. So the goal is for you to feel a little better for a little longer after each treatment.

After a series of weekly treatments, we would evaluate how you’re feeling and try to space out the treatments. For example, trying to go two weeks between treatments and seeing how you feel.

After this, most of my arthritis patients come in for maintenance treatments about once a month. If you know that your OA pain is worse with cold weather, for example, you may want to come more often before the change of seasons to try to prevent a severe flare-up once the cold weather hits.

Acupuncture is often used by people AFTER they have significant pain, but the truth is that it is also very good at PREVENTING pain when you get regular acupuncture treatments.

Each person responds differently, of course, and this estimate (once per week for 6-8 weeks at first) can vary based on your age, how long you’ve been living with arthritis, as well as the severity of your condition. Generally, the longer and more severe, the more treatments are required to manage the pain.

Have questions? Send us an email at info@senecafallsacupuncture.com

Ready to schedule an appointment for your arthritis pain? Click here to schedule online.

References:

1. Zhang L, Yuan H, Zhang L, Li J, Li H. Effect of acupuncture therapies combined with usual medical care on knee osteoarthritis. J Tradit Chin Med. 2019 Feb;39(1):103-110. PMID: 32186030.
2. Li J, Li YX, Luo LJ, Ye J, Zhong DL, Xiao QW, Zheng H, Geng CM, Jin RJ, Liang FR. The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: An overview of systematic reviews. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Jul;98(28):e16301. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000016301. PMID: 31305415; PMCID: PMC6641846.
3. Seca S, Miranda D, Cardoso D, Nogueira B, Greten HJ, Cabrita A, Alves M. Effectiveness of Acupuncture on Pain, Physical Function and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Evidence. Chin J Integr Med. 2019 Sep;25(9):704-709. doi: 10.1007/s11655-018-2914-x. Epub 2018 Dec 19. PMID: 30569405.
4. https://www.cdc.gov/hrqol/index.htm
5. Xu Y, Hong S, Zhao X, Wang S, Xu Z, Ding S, Zhang K, Zhang Y, Xu L, Yu N, Zhao T, Yan Y, Yang F, Liu Y, Yu K, Liu B, Guo Y, Pang G. Acupuncture Alleviates Rheumatoid Arthritis by Immune-Network Modulation. Am J Chin Med. 2018;46(5):997-1019. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X18500520. Epub 2018 Jul 12. PMID: 30001644.