A controversial alternative treatment known as acupressure may relieve knee arthritis pain, a study suggests.
The researchers found that patients suspected of having the condition reported significantly less pain after three months of treatment than others studied in the trial.
Traditional Chinese medical practice involves stimulating ‘acupuncture points’ (invisible energy lines said to exist around the body) to provide health benefits.
Unlike acupuncture, which uses needles to prick the skin at these points, acupressure uses fingers to apply pressure.
Proponents claim the practice can alleviate a range of problems, from anxiety to joint pain.
In the study, patients self-administered acupressure to their knees along with physical therapy exercises at home (file image)
The study results suggested that the use of acupressure could actually decrease knee pain in people with arthritis in the joint.
Acupressure was a controversial feature of a recent episode of Dragons’ Den with saleswoman Giselle Boxer (pictured).
She sought investment for sticky ‘ear seeds’ that provided acupressure and, she said, helped her with her MS, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome.
However, the evidence is often contradictory: some studies show an effect and others show it helps little.
The treatment recently made headlines after Dragons’ Den contestant Giselle Boxer claimed on the BBC1 show that adhesive acupressure ‘ear seeds’ (small beads placed in the ears) helped her cure her condition of chronic fatigue ME.
Subsequent reaction from patients, who pointed out that there was no evidence they worked, led the BBC to withdraw the program before reinstating it with a disclaimer.
However, the latest research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows promise for knee pain.
A total of 314 study participants, with an average age of 63 years, received two sessions of self-administered acupressure training on the knees, in addition to home physical therapy exercises, and were instructed to perform both treatments twice a day for 12 weeks.
A control group received instructions only on physical therapy. Both groups were evaluated with questionnaires to measure their knee pain.
The acupressure patients reported 46 percent lower pain levels than the other group after the treatment period. However, stiffness levels were not different between the groups.
Knee osteoarthritis is estimated to affect 5.4 million people, mostly over the age of 50, in the UK. Other than joint replacement surgery, there are no effective treatments.
“Self-administered acupressure has been used for different pain conditions and could be an effective treatment for knee pain,” the Hong Kong-based study authors said.