Acupuncture Helps Relieve Knee Arthritis Pain

Researchers have found that acupuncture is effective when treating knee osteoarthritis pain and joint dysfunction. This finding is confirmed by three independent studies. The first found that acupuncture is good for boosting the efficacy of celecoxib treatment. The next found that acupuncture helps increase the beneficial patient-outcome rates for those who engage in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herbs. The third study looked at a comparison between two types of acupuncture, finding that that centro-square needling is the best for treating knee osteoarthritis.

KOA

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), a degenerative joint disease, originates from knee joint cartilage degeneration and bone hyper-plasia. In turn, pain results as well as less joint movement. When patients take anti-inflammatory and analgesic-oral-medications over the long haul, this can result in kidney and liver failure, in addition to gastro-intestinal damage.

KOA in TCM can be brought on by a combo of wind, cold, and damp conditions, as well as heat-damp conditions and stagnation of phlegm. These can all obstruct meridians and cause less-than-optimal circulation of qi and blood.

A critical type of acupuncture for KOA? Warm needle acupuncture, particularly when it comes to cold-dampness origin. This can warm the meridians, get rid of colds, take away the factor of wind and dampness, and circulate blood and qi to relieve pain and swelling. Fire acupuncture has been found to have a similar effect.

For treatment of cold-type arthritis, centro-square needling is best. This involves inserting extra needles around the main acu-point. The increased stimulation is also beneficial for the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases. In fact, it can stimulate blood and lymph circulation, help absorb inflammatory-exudates, and calm spasms of the muscles. This all leads to tissue regeneration and relief of pain.

The Results

A study out of the Zhengzhou Orthopedic Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, conducted by Li Jian, showed that acupuncture can boost a patient’s outcome when taking celecoxib. This is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine. The study involved a comparison of KOA patients who got both acupuncture and celecoxib. It was noted that acupuncture provided better and longer-lasting pain relief.

The improvement in KOA scores for the acupuncture-and-drug group was significantly higher than the drug group. Eight weeks post-treatment, the acupuncture-and-drug group experienced a big improvement, while the drug-only group declined. In this study, researchers found that acupuncture significantly increased treatment effectiveness for those who take the NSAID celecoxib.

Contact Metro Detroit Acupuncture

If you want to find out how acupuncture can relieve your knee arthritis pain, get in touch with Metro Detroit Acupuncture, Michigan’s leading acupuncture, Chinese herbs and pain management clinic. Book your appointment by calling 248-432-2846.