Vas J et al. 2004 |
N=97 (>45 yoa) randomized to one of two 12-week treatments |
1. Acupuncture and Diclofenac
2. Placebo acupuncture and Diclofenac |
1. VAS
2. WOMAC
3. PQLC |
All Om significantly favoured acupuncture group |
Berman BM et al. 2004 |
N=570 (ave ~65 yoa) randomized to one of three treatments (and all could maintain current medication regime) |
1. Acupuncture – 23 treatments over 6 months
2. Sham acupuncture – 23 treatments over 6 months
3. Control group – attended 6 two-hour sessions based on an Arthritis Self-Management Program (Arthritis Foundation) |
1. WOMAC
2. Patient global assessment
3. 6-minute walk test
4. SF-36 |
1. Acupuncture improved WOMAC scale at 8 weeks vs. sham/control
2. At 14 weeks, patients in the acupuncture group showed a greater reduction in pain than the other groups
3. At 26 weeks, the acupuncture group maintained their improvements in pain and functional measures |
Scharf H et al. 2006 |
N=1007 patients randomized to |
1. Conservative therapy – 10 visits to primary care physician with NSAIDs for 23 weeks
2. Acupuncture – 10 treatments over a 6 week period
3. Sham acupuncture – 10 treatments over a 6 week period |
1. WOMAC
2. Global patient assessment |
1. Success rates were 53.1% for the acupuncture group, 51.0% for the sham acupuncture group, and 29.1% for the conservative therapy group
2. Changes in the WOMAC score were much more distinct in the acupuncture and sham acupuncture group
3. Global patient assessment ratings demonstrated a higher rate of satisfaction for the acupuncture (73%) and sham (62.5%) groups at 26 weeks than the conservative treatment group (47.1%) |
