Acupuncture and its use in chronic musculoskeletal pain
Acupuncture and its use in chronic musculoskeletal pain
Musculoskeletal pain, and in particular osteoarthritis, continues to be a major problem for the population and the health service. The use of complementary and alternative medicine has become increasingly popular over the last 15 years; with acupuncture proving particularly popular in those with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Acupuncture has proved to be a very safe treatment option with serious side effects being very rare. The scientific basis for acupuncture is reviewed and various mechanisms are discussed including pain gate; diffuse noxious inhibitory control; bioelectricity; release of endogenous opioids and serotonin. The efficacy of acupuncture is still debated despite apparent large clinical effect size. One reason for this is that early trials were often of very poor quality. There is also the problem that there is no ‘industry standard’ placebo for acupuncture trials. However, more recent trials are much more rigorous and tend to show some efficacy for acupuncture, particularly in the short term. Acupuncture can not provide a ‘cure’ for degenerative disease such as osteoarthritis but may provide effective symptomatic relief from pain for certain musculoskeletal conditions.
28-33
White, P.
7af189b9-069f-440f-bbef-78c56ae40bb6
2006
White, P.
7af189b9-069f-440f-bbef-78c56ae40bb6
White, P.
(2006)
Acupuncture and its use in chronic musculoskeletal pain.
CME Geriatric Medicine, 8 (1), .
Abstract
Musculoskeletal pain, and in particular osteoarthritis, continues to be a major problem for the population and the health service. The use of complementary and alternative medicine has become increasingly popular over the last 15 years; with acupuncture proving particularly popular in those with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Acupuncture has proved to be a very safe treatment option with serious side effects being very rare. The scientific basis for acupuncture is reviewed and various mechanisms are discussed including pain gate; diffuse noxious inhibitory control; bioelectricity; release of endogenous opioids and serotonin. The efficacy of acupuncture is still debated despite apparent large clinical effect size. One reason for this is that early trials were often of very poor quality. There is also the problem that there is no ‘industry standard’ placebo for acupuncture trials. However, more recent trials are much more rigorous and tend to show some efficacy for acupuncture, particularly in the short term. Acupuncture can not provide a ‘cure’ for degenerative disease such as osteoarthritis but may provide effective symptomatic relief from pain for certain musculoskeletal conditions.
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Published date: 2006
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Local EPrints ID: 43934
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/43934
ISSN: 1475-1453
PURE UUID: b5b0e91f-daec-421a-9b98-51f983375cc0
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Date deposited: 07 Feb 2007
Last modified: 08 Jan 2022 19:00
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P. White
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