Efficacy of Intensive Acupuncture Versus Sham Acupuncture in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Tu JF, Yang JW, Shi GX, Yu ZS, Li JL, Lin LL, Du YZ, Yu XG, Hu H, Liu ZS, Jia CS, Wang LQ, Zhao JJ, Wang J, Wang T, Wang Y, Wang TQ, Zhang N, Zou X, Wang Y, Shao JK, Liu CZ · Arthritis & Rheumatology · 2021 January 15

DOI 10.1002/art.41584

Objective

To investigate the efficacy of intensive electroacupuncture and manual acupuncture administered three times weekly for eight weeks compared with sham acupuncture in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Conclusions

Intensive electroacupuncture resulted in less pain and better function than sham acupuncture at week 8, with effects persisting through week 26, while intensive manual acupuncture showed no benefit at week 8 but demonstrated benefits during follow-up.

Critical Appraisal

Published research can offer valuable insights, but a paper’s conclusions may go beyond what its results support. Critical appraisal examines the methods, findings and limitations to clarify what can reasonably be concluded—and what remains uncertain.

This article has not yet been critically appraised by the Research Hub.

Learn more about Critical Appraisal

Insights

Intensive electroacupuncture improved knee osteoarthritis pain and function more reliably than sham treatment, with benefits lasting beyond treatment completion.

This multicenter randomized controlled trial assigned people with knee osteoarthritis to electroacupuncture, manual acupuncture, or sham acupuncture delivered three times weekly for eight weeks. Participants, outcome assessors, and statisticians were unaware of treatment assignments. The main outcome assessed whether participants achieved meaningful improvements in both pain and physical function after treatment. Electroacupuncture produced greater combined pain and functional improvement than sham acupuncture at the end of treatment, and these benefits continued during follow-up. Manual acupuncture did not demonstrate a clear advantage over sham treatment immediately after treatment, although it showed improvements relative to sham acupuncture later in follow-up.