Project Description
Acupuncture for Joint Pain
Do you already know the benefits of acupuncture for the treatment of joint pain?
Acupuncture is a staple of traditional Chinese medicine and has been practiced for thousands of years as a complementary treatment for a range of conditions and diseases. Acupuncture has been used for decades as an effective complementary therapy to treat joint pain.
Although the mechanisms by which acupuncture works are still not completely understood, this treatment, which was historically part of traditional Chinese medicine, has in recent years become of widespread use as a complementary treatment also within western medicine, allowing improvements in quality of life for many people.
How does acupuncture work?
Although the mechanisms of action of acupuncture are not fully understood, there are several studies that have confirmed the physiological changes resulting from this treatment in calming pain, including joint pain. Some of the important mechanisms that have been shown to be involved in acupuncture’s effects on reducing pain include anti-inflammatory effects, anti-oxidative effects and effects on the immune system function.
Acupuncture is based on a set of procedures designed to stimulate specific points in the body through the use of different techniques. Among these, the best known and the one whose health benefits have been most extensively studied, is the one that involves the insertion of very thin needles under the skin to calm the pain caused by various conditions.
Joint Pain
Joint pain has become a fairly common problem in the general population, and is more prevalent among elderly people. More than 70% of women over 35 suffer from joint pain.
The pain is often caused by wear in cartilage, a tissue that surrounds bones in joints and has the function of preventing friction. Joint pain usually occurs with an acute biting feeling, and is accompanied by stiffness which limits the movements of the joints due to the inflammation of the area. Both the pain and limitation in movement can seriously interfere with the individual’s quality of life, making everyday tasks extremely difficult.
Joint Pain Causes and Symptoms:
Common symptoms and signs associated to joint pain are:
- Chest pain, breathing difficulties
- Abdominal pain
- Inflammation, heat and redness of the joint
- Rashes, purple spots
- Fever and/or sweating
Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the main joint disorders that can cause disabilities. It is a degenerative disease that produces cartilage deterioration, leaving the joint unprotected. The bones wear out due to friction, resulting in intense pain and joint stiffness.
Joint pain can also manifest as a side effect of certain medications. Aromatase inhibitors, prescribed in the treatment of patients with breast cancer or in postmenopausal women at a high risk of developing breast cancer, have been shown to cause joint pain so intense that some patients are forced to abandon treatment.
Is Acupuncture Effective in the treatment of Joint Pain?
Several studies have shown the effectiveness of acupuncture as a complementary treatment for joint pain and its positive effects have also been observed in the treatment of osteoarthritis.
A systematic analysis, collected in the Cochrane health database, in which patients receiving treatment were compared to a control group, has shown that acupuncture helps reduce pain and improve mobility in patients with osteoarthritis.
Another recent study conducted by the SWOG (Southwest Oncology Group) cancer research network has shown that acupuncture is able to significantly reduce joint pain associated to aromatase inhibitors in postmenopausal patients with early stage breast cancer.
The 226 patients, from different medical centers involved in the study, were divided into 3 groups: acupuncture treatment; simulated acupuncture treatment; no treatment. After 12 weeks, patients undergoing acupuncture treatment reported a decrease in pain, with positive effects lasting for several months. These results have undoubtedly been groundbreaking in their introduction to standard treatments of alternatives to opioid drugs that are efficient and have far less side effects.
What can we Conclude regarding Acupuncture treatment for Joint Pain?
Although further research is needed to better investigate its mechanism of action, acupuncture has been shown to be beneficial not only for joint pain, but also for a variety of other chronic degenerative diseases such as fibromyalgia and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.
It is for this reason that several treatment protocols include acupuncture as a complementary therapy, provided in addition to traditional treatments.
If you are suffering from joint pain and need an acupuncturist, you can have the treatment provided directly in your home with Medelit. Our highly experienced, qualified and board certified acupuncturists carry out home visits in the area of London.
References:
- Chou PC, Chu HY. Clinical Efficacy of Acupuncture on Rheumatoid Arthritis and Associated Mechanisms: A Systemic Review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018;2018:8596918. Published 2018 Apr 12. doi:10.1155/2018/8596918
- Manheimer E, Cheng K, Linde K, et al. Acupuncture for peripheral joint osteoarthritis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010: CD001977. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001977.pub2.
- Crew KD, Capodice JL, Greenlee H, et al. Randomized, blinded, sham-controlled trial of acupuncture for the management of aromatase inhibitor-associated joint symptoms in women with early-stage breast cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2010, 28:1154-1160. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2009.23.4708. Epub 2010 Jan 25.
- Manyanga T, Froese M, Zarychanski R, et al. Pain management with acupuncture in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014;14:312. Published 2014 Aug 23. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-14-312
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