ACUPUNCTURE FOR PAIN DUE TO OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE
The purpose of the study is to determine if acupuncture is effective as an alternative therapy for easing the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee in older women. Study participants will include a minimum of 20 elderly females, ages 65 years or more, from a local acupuncture clinic, which are receiving acupuncture for pain due to knee osteoarthritis. Survey research will be used to assess the perceptions of these women regarding the effectiveness of the acupuncture for relief of pain (at 8, 26, and 52 weeks). Perceptions of pain prior to and following acupuncture treatments will be compared to test the following hypothesis: acupuncture will result in significantly decreased pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee in older women. This study is important since patients with knee osteoarthritis report that traditional treatment methods do not alleviate pain and many patients seek alternate methods of treatment such as acupuncture.
Chronic pain associated with arthritis is estimated to affect 40 million people in the United States, with costs of $65 billion estimated in 1992 (Sign, Berman, Hadhazy, and Bareta 59). Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and osteoarthritis of the knee is the most common cause of elderly disability. The most common symptoms in osteoarthritis of the knee are chronic pain, followed by stiffness, instability and buckling, and limited motion and function. Medical treatment for this problem includes pharmacological treatments, physical and occupational therapy, exercise, weight loss, and education. Drugs used to treat this disorder include nonopiod analgesics such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Treatment goals include reducing pain, maintaining function, projecting the joint and limiting complications. Research findings show that pharmacological treatment is ineffective and associated with adverse eff...