Introduction
Knee arthrosis causes pain, especially in advanced stages. In addition to other conservative or surgical therapeutic approaches to knee arthrosis, acupuncture is of considerable importance, especially in cases of pain caused by knee arthrosis. Acupuncture is successfully used here for the treatment of chronic pain caused by knee arthrosis in one or both joints and lasting for at least six months.
The health insurance companies even cover a treatment cycle of 10 sessions within 12 weeks once a year. The reduction in pain has been proven in studies. For example, it has been described that 70% of patients with knee arthrosis report a significant reduction in pain after acupuncture, and 80% also experience a reduction in pain in the acute phase.
Thus, it can be said that acupuncture can be a successful treatment for chronic pain in knee arthrosis. However, the treatment should be performed by a physician who has completed training in acupuncture and has knowledge of pain therapy and psychosomatic medicine. This gives the best results and only then will the sessions be paid for by a statutory health insurance company. Whether and how a private health insurance covers the costs can vary from tariff to tariff.
Proof of the effectiveness of acupuncture for knee arthrosis
Acupuncture helps with many conditions associated with chronic pain, including knee osteoarthritis. This fact has now been proven by several studies. These studies all proceeded in a similar way.
Patients with complaints of knee arthrosis were divided into three groups:
- One group received the standard therapy including medication and physiotherapy,
- One group was treated with “correct” acupuncture,
- The last group received an apparent acupuncture therapy, but the needles were only superficially inserted into the skin and no attention was paid to the correct placement at specific acupuncture points.
Patients were then asked at regular intervals to evaluate their pain, joint stiffness and dysfunction using a point scale. It was found that those who were treated with acupuncture experienced significantly less pain after 6 to 8 weeks at the latest. The acupuncture treatment was therefore actually more effective than the standard therapy for knee arthrosis.
Apart from the faster pain relief and better joint function, this alternative therapy offers another important advantage: patients can save the money and above all the side effects of long-term treatment with pain medication. However, one should keep in mind that the effect of acupuncture does not last forever either, and therefore it usually has to be repeated after about half a year, otherwise the pain returns. For these reasons, acupuncture treatment is being covered by more and more health insurance companies.
However, this only applies if patients firstly have a prescription from their doctor and secondly go to a general practitioner for therapy, who has additional training in the corresponding field. Why acupuncture works for chronic pain is not yet fully understood. It is assumed that the body releases endorphins (so-called “happiness hormones“) in response to the needlesticks. This leads to a reduced sensation of pain. In addition, serotonin is released, a transmitter substance of the central nervous system, which also plays a role in the transmission of pain.
