Back, Hip, Knee & Leg Pain

Acupuncture for Back, Hip, Knee & Leg Pain

Acupuncture for Back, Hip, Knee & Leg Pain

Back troubles commonly occur because of poor posture, improper lifting, over-exertion and bad habits which develop over a long period of time.

Although the pain may be severe, most bouts of back pain that occur suddenly are not due to any serious disease and often a specific cause cannot be found (nonspecific back pain). Other causes of back pain include irritation of spinal nerve roots, disc prolapse, arthritis, inflammation, kidney stones and infections.

What Does The Research Say?

The following insights are obtained from systematic reviews and analysis of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of Acupuncture for Back, Hip, Knee & Leg Pain.

Scientific References

Browse our collection of scientific clinical research on Acupuncture for Back, Hip, Knee & Leg Pain. It includes recent and reputable papers published by peer-reviewed journals within the last 10 years.

Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science

2020, Jun 25

Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science

This study showed high efficacy in acupuncture treatment to knee osteoarthritis. Patients in the acupuncture group had significant advantages over no-acupuncture groups in relieving pain and improving physical function.

Wang, Tt., Liu, Y., Ning, Zy. et al. Full Article

Medicine

2019, Jul

The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis
Medicine

This study showcase the safety and high efficacy of acupuncture treatments in knee osteoarthritis. Patients reported to have less adverse reactions compared to western medicine treatments.

Li, Juan PhDa; Li, Yu-Xi MDb; Luo, Liao-Jun BDb; Ye, Jing BDb; Zhong, Dong-Ling BDa; Xiao, Qi-Wei BDb; Zheng, Hui PhDb; Geng, Chun-Mei MDc; Jin, Rong-Jiang PhDa,∗; Liang, Fan-Rong MDb,∗ Full Article

Acupuncture in Medicine

2019, Jan 16

Evidence of efficacy of acupuncture in the management of low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised placebo- or sham-controlled trials
Acupuncture in Medicine British Medical Acupuncture Society

There is moderate evidence of efficacy for acupuncture in terms of pain reduction immediately after treatment for NSLBP ((sub)acute and chronic) when compared to sham or placebo acupuncture.

Xiang Y, He J, Tian H, Cao B, Li R. Full Article

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

2018, May 5

Acupuncture for hip osteoarthritis
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Cochrane

Acupuncture probably has little or no effect in reducing pain or improving function relative to sham acupuncture in people with hip osteoarthritis. Due to the small sample size in the studies, the confidence intervals include both the possibility of moderate benefits and the possibility of no effect of acupuncture. One unblinded trial found that acupuncture as an addition to routine primary physician care was associated with benefits on pain and function. However, these reported benefits are likely due at least partially to RCT participants' greater expectations of benefit from acupuncture. Possible side effects associated with acupuncture treatment were minor.

Manheimer E, Cheng K, Wieland LS, Shen X, Lao L, Guo M, Berman BM. Full Article

Acupuncture in Medicine

2018, Apr 1

Acupuncture for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Acupuncture in Medicine British Medical Acupuncture Society

This academic study showed effective results of acupuncture treatments with lumbar disc herniation patients. Patients reported to have reduced pain on the lower back, improved blood circulation and decreased intake of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.Acupuncture treatments significantly promote overall recovery for hernia-related pain.

Tang S, Mo Z, Zhang R. Full Article

Acupuncture in Medicine

2017, Dec

Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture for chronic knee pain
Acupuncture in Medicine British Medical Acupuncture Society

From this systematic review, we conclude that acupuncture may be effective at relieving CKP 12 weeks after acupuncture administration, based on the current evidence and our protocol. However, given the heterogeneity and methodological limitations of the included trials, we are currently unable to draw any strong conclusions regarding the effectiveness of acupuncture for chronic knee pain. In addition, we found that acupuncture appears to have a satisfactory safety profile, although further studies with larger numbers of participants are needed to confirm the safety of this technique.

Zhang Q, Yue J, Golianu B, Sun Z, Lu Y. Full Article

Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

2016, May 31

Effectiveness of Acupuncture Therapies to Manage Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Extremities: A Systematic Review
Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

This article showcase the efficacy of acupuncture for carpel tunnel syndrome, piriformis, shoulder pain, plantar fasciitis and patellofemoral pain. The systematic reviews on randomised controlled trials research have showed that patients respond significantly better after treatments compared to the control group.

Cox, J., Varatharajan, S., Côté, P., & Optima Collaboration Full Article

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

2015, Dec 6

The Efficacy of Acupuncture for the Treatment of Sciatica: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Results showed that acupuncture was more effective than conventional Western medicine in outcomes effectiveness, pain intensity, and pain threshold. Acupuncture may be effective in treating the pain associated with sciatica.

Ji M, Wang X, Chen M, Shen Y, Zhang X, Yang J. Full Article

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

2015, Oct 21

Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Treating Sciatica: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

This systematic review suggest that the use of acupuncture is more effective to relieve leg pain/lumbago. The study showed that it improved global assessment of sciatica when compared with NSAID (ibuprofen, meloxicam, and diclofenac) treatment. Moreover, adjuvant acupuncture may enhance the effect of medications in leg pain/lumbago relief.

Zongshi Qin, Xiaoxu Liu, Jiani Wu, Yanbing Zhai, Zhishun Liu, Full Article

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

2015, Jan 4

Acupuncture for Low Back Pain: An Overview of Systematic Reviews
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Systematic reviews of variable quality showed that acupuncture, either used in isolation or as an adjunct to conventional therapy, provides short-term improvements in pain and function for chronic low back pain.

Liu L, Skinner M, McDonough S, Mabire L, Baxter GD. Full Article

BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

2014, Aug 23

Pain management with acupuncture in osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies

The use of acupuncture is associated with significant reductions in pain intensity, improvement in functional mobility and quality of life. While the differences are not as great as shown by other reviews, current evidence supports the use of acupuncture as an alternative for traditional analgesics in patients with osteoarthritis.

Manyanga, T., Froese, M., Zarychanski, R. et al. Full Article

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

2013, Jan 28

Standardized versus Individualized Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

In this single-center trial, individualized acupuncture was not superior to standardized acupuncture for patients suffering from chronic pain.

Daniel Pach, Xiaoli Yang-Strobel, Rainer Lüdtke, Stephanie Roll, Katja Icke, Benno Brinkhaus, Claudia M. Witt Full Article

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

2011, Jan 15

Acupuncture treatment for plantar fasciitis: a randomized controlled trial with six months follow-up
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Plantar fasciitis is a common cause of heel pain. The results indicate that acupuncture can provide pain relief to patient with plantar fasciitis, and that PC 7 is a relatively specific acupoint for heel pain.

Shi Ping Zhang , Tsui-Pik Yip, Qiu-Shi Li Full Article

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