Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major public health problem among the elderly and is associated with considerable disability. A recent analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III indicated that about 35% of women and men aged 60 years and above had radiographic knee OA. Although the cause of OA can be many factors, such as previous injury, abnormal limb development and so on, its main symptom is a complex chronic pain condition. Previous studies have demonstrated central sensitization in OA patients. Despite the high prevalence rate of OA, the treatment of OA is far from satisfactory. Acupuncture could be a promising treatment option for knee OA due to the effectiveness of the pain relief and the rarity of adverse effects. In order to get some more reliable data to confirm acupuncture effectiveness on KOA, a long-term follow up interventional study with clear design, standard criteria, control group, will be started to confirm the effects of long term for acupuncture treatment.
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a major public health problem among the elderly and is associated with considerable disability. A recent analysis of data indicated that about 35% of women and men aged 60 years and above had radiographic knee OA.Despite the high prevalence rate of OA, the treatment of OA is far from satisfactory. Acupuncture may be a promising treatment option for knee OA due to the effectiveness of the pain relief and the rarity of adverse effects. In order to get some more reliable data to confirm acupuncture effectiveness on KOA, a long-term follow up interventional study will be started to confirm the effects of long term for acupuncture treatment.