Unilateral versus Bilateral Acupuncture on Knee Function in Advanced Osteoarthritis of the Knee – a Prospective Randomised Trial

Abstract

We report a prospective randomised trial of acupuncture given to 44 patients with advanced osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee awaiting total knee joint replacement. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups, group A receiving acupuncture to the most affected knee only and group B receiving acupuncture to both knees. Acupuncture was given to four local points around the knee and one distal point. The local points were Spleen 9 (Yinlinquan, SP9), Spleen 10 (Xuehai, SP10), Stomach 34 (Liangqui, ST34), and Stomach 36 (Zusanli, ST36). The distal point was Large Intestine 4 (Hegu, LI4) on the first web space of the ipsilateral hand. A blinded observer assessed knee function before starting treatment, and at the end of two and six months. Analysis of the results showed a significant reduction in symptoms in both groups, and this improvement was sustained for six months. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups. In conclusion, unilateral acupuncture is as effective as bilateral acupuncture in increasing function and reducing the pain associated with OA of the knee. This trial is not able to distinguish the specific from the non-specific effects of the treatment.

Complementary medicine: evidence base, competence to practice and regulation

“…Myers 21 has demonstrated savings in drugs bills using acupuncture in primary care, and Lindall 22 has determined the cost savings of running a dedicated acupuncture clinic, again in general practice. Christensen 23 and Tillu 24 both helped patients with knee osteoarthritis using acupuncture to such a degree that they voluntarily left waiting lists for knee replacement. In successive years, Ross 25 dramatically reduced referrals to rheumatologists and physiotherapists from primary care with implied cost savings.…”

Effects of Acupuncture at Large Intestine 4 (LI 4) on Electrical Tooth Pulp Stimulation: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

“…In a prospective randomized trial on unilateral vs bilateral acupuncture on function in advanced osteoarthritis of the knee, Tillu et al 22 showed that there was no statistical difference between unilateral and bilateral acupuncture. They concluded that unilateral acupuncture is as effective as bi- …”

Safety of Acupuncture for Osteoarthritis of the Knee – a Review of Randomised Controlled Trials, Focusing on Specific Reactions to Acupuncture

“…After excluding one paper reporting an RCT on osteoarthritis of any joint, 10 one secondary analysis of RCT data already published, 11 one report of an RCT comparing unilateral with bilateral treatment, 12 and one report of an RCT on knee pain not caused by osteoarthritis, 13 we located 12 RCTs for inclusion in the review. [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Of those, seven included information on adverse events.…”