Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a common, disabling and costly condition. Most treatment guidelines published to date recommend a combination of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments until the condition progresses and warrants a total knee replacement. Today’s aging population wants to remain active and enjoy sports and leisure without pain and is seeking alternative treatments for conditions such as knee OA.
A 2006 study in the medical journal Annals of Internal Medicine compared treatment results of 1007 patients with knee OA. One study group received 10 medical visits and were given prescription meds for up to 23 weeks, while another group received 10 Traditional Chinese acupuncture treatments over 6 weeks.
After 6 months, the group receiving Traditional Chinese acupuncture had a success rate of 53% as compared to the group receiving pharmacological treatment and medical visits.
This is just one of many studies published in mainstream, highly regarded medical journals supporting acupuncture’s use in the management of knee osteoarthritis.
Both of our chiropractors, Dr. Kempt- Sutherland and Dr. Hefford, are certified in acupuncture and did the extra training outside of regular chiropractic schooling for the very reason that it does have supportive evidence for many conditions, just as this study exemplifies.