AIM:

To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in controlling pain from arthritis of the knee.

DESIGN:

Systematic review.

DATA SOURCES:

MedLine, the Cochrane Library.

STUDY SELECTION:

Of the 9 studies located, only 4 met the inclusion criteria. All were controlled, randomized clinical trials that studied the effect of acupuncture only in the knee joint.

DATA EXTRACTION:

Primary outcome variables were intensity of pain, overall measure (general improvement, proportion of patients who recovered, subjective improvement in symptoms) and functional status. As secondary outcome measures we used objective physiological measures (range of knee movement, muscle strength, time needed to walk a certain distance, time needed to climb a certain number of stairs), general health status, and other information such as medication needed and side effects.

RESULTS:

There was moderately strong evidence that acupuncture was more effective in treating knee joint pain than no treatment. The difference can be explained by its marked placebo effect.

CONCLUSIONS:

There is currently insufficient evidence to recommend acupuncture as a treatment for pain from osteoarthritis of the knee. Additional, better designed studies are needed to determine the actual role of acupuncture in this disease.