How does acupuncture help relieve joint pain?

Acupuncture has been used for several decades as a complementary therapy to relieve joint pain. What are its benefits? Discover them!

Do you know how acupuncture helps relieve joint pain? Acupuncture is the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine. It has been practiced for thousands of years to relieve many pains and pathologies.

Although we ignore the mechanisms responsible for the therapeutic action of this branch of alternative medicine,  acupuncture is also practiced in the West. The patients who use it to improve their quality of life are numerous.

What is acupuncture based on?

The mechanism of action of acupuncture is certainly unknown. Nevertheless, several studies demonstrate the physiological changes  that occur after treatment in this therapy, particularly in the case of joint pain.

Acupuncture is based on a set of processes that stimulate certain anatomical points using different techniques. Among the latter, the best known - and the one whose health benefits have been best studied - is that  of fine needles that are inserted into the skin in a particular way.  This is intended to relieve pain from certain diseases.

Joint pain

More than 70% of women over 35 suffer from joint pain, according to a study by the International Osteoarthritis Foundation (OAFI). This type of disorder affects the musculoskeletal system. It also attacks the joints, responsible for the mobility of the bones of the knee, ankles, hip or wrists. When joint pain is very intense, it is difficult to perform activities as basic as walking or sitting on a chair.

Joint pain presents  a sensation of sting and rigidity. This limits the movement of the joints because of the inflammation that produces in the affected area. This limitation interferes significantly with the quality of life by making daily activities and tasks difficult.

Some symptoms of joint pain are:

• Inflammation, heat and redness of the joint
• Rashes, purplish spots
• Chest pain, difficulty breathing
• Abdominal pain
• Fever, sweating or chills

Osteoarthritis is one of the main types of joint pain that causes disability. It is a degenerative patient where the cartilage is gradually damaged,  leaving the joint exposed. Bones wear out due to friction. This causes severe pain and rigidity in the joint.

The effectiveness of acupuncture to relieve joint pain

Age, overweight and genetic inheritance are predisposing factors to osteoarthritis. A change in lifestyle could sometimes help improve symptoms. Nevertheless, several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of acupuncture as an alternative therapy in the treatment of osteoarthritis .

A systematic review collected in the Cochrane Health Database showed that acupuncture can slightly reduce pain and improve physical function in patients with osteoarthritis.

We divided the patients into 2 groups. One group received acupuncture treatment and the second group was simply observed (without treatment). After 8 and 26 weeks, patients undergoing acupuncture treatment reported  pain relief and improved physical function  compared to the untreated group.

Joint pain from the use of drugs

Joint pain may also appear as a side effect to some medications. The aromatase inhibitors are used to treat patients with breast cancer or in the case of postmenopausal women with a high risk of developing it. This treatment can cause joint pain so intense that some patients come to abandon it.

A recent study by the SWOG ( Southwest Oncolongy Group)  oncology research network has shown that acupuncture significantly reduces joint pain  in treatment with aromatase inhibitors in postmenopausal breast cancer patients .

The 226 patients who participated in the study were divided into 3 groups:

• Acupuncture treatment
• Simulacra of acupuncture treatment
• Without treatment

After 12 weeks, patients who received acupuncture treatment reported relief of pain. It also lasted several months. This implies progress over an alternative to opioid medications and the associated side effects.

Conclusion

Taking these results into account, we conclude that acupuncture is  not only useful for relieving joint pain. However, more studies are needed to discover its mechanism of action. This practice also has benefits in the treatment of fibromyalgia or neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

This is why some health professionals mention the possibility of offering their patients acupuncture as a complementary therapy to treatment or even to obtain reimbursement by social security.