Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Acupuncture Benefits ArthritisWhat the Research ShowsRisks and Side EffectsHow a Typical Session WorksFinding a Practitioner
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How Acupuncture Benefits Arthritis
What the Research Shows
Risks and Side Effects
How a Typical Session Works
Finding a Practitioner
Acupunctureis a form oftraditional Chinese medicinethat utilizes the insertion of thin needles into various parts of the body to reduce pain and inflammation. This practice is based on the concept of qi, an essential form of life energy that flows throughout the body along 20 different pathways called meridians. When the flow of qi through a meridian is blocked or disrupted, pain or illness is thought to result.
There is a lack of consistency and generalizability of clinical trials studying acupuncture, but emerging evidence suggests that acupuncture may provide symptom relief for patients suffering from joint pain, especially those witharthritis, specifically osteoarthritis andrheumatoid arthritis.
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Research has shown that acupuncture has benefits for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and chronic pain. However, more evidence is needed in some of these areas to support the effectiveness of acupuncture for pain relief.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
While research is still preliminary and not standardized, a systematic review of 43 different studies including human and animal subjects with rheumatoid arthritis demonstrates varied results, though many studies suggest improvement in symptoms and a decrease in biologic markers of rheumatoid arthritis following one to three sessions of acupuncture for four weeks or more.
Beneficial outcomes following acupuncture treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis include less pain and joint stiffness and improved physical functioning. The results of various human and animal studies also suggest that acupuncture has the potential to down-regulate levels of interleukins and tumor necrosis factor, specific cell signaling proteins collectively called cytokines that are involved in the inflammatory response and become elevated in autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Most of the patients enrolled in these studies were also receiving other forms of treatment, especially medications, so it is difficult to conclude if acupuncture is beneficial alone or only as a supplemental option in addition to medical treatments.
Osteoarthritis
According to the 2019 American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation guidelines, acupuncture forosteoarthritisof the hand, hip, and knee is conditionally recommended, meaning that acupuncture may be worth trying although more research is needed to confirm how effective treatment is.
The efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of osteoarthritis remains controversial as research study results are limited due to small sample sizes, variability of outcomes, and the possibility of the placebo effect. Because of these factors, it is difficult to conclude the true magnitude of the beneficial effects of acupuncture, but since the risk of harm is relatively minor, acupuncture for osteoarthritis can generally be considered a safe alternative treatment option for managing the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
Chronic Pain
Because clinical trials of acupuncture treatment suggest that acupuncture may be effective for providing pain relief, acupuncture may be an appropriate option to try for those who suffer fromchronic pain. A recent systematic review that included data from 20,827 patients and 39 trials concluded that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain, headache, and osteoarthritis pain.Make sure to ask your healthcare provider if acupuncture is safe for you to try based on your medical history.
Safety
Risks
The biggest risk associated with acupuncture treatment is bleeding and bruising from needle insertion, especially if you have a bleeding disorder likehemophiliaor take a blood thinner likewarfarin. Make sure to ask your healthcare provider if acupuncture is a safe option for you to try.
Other potential risks include infection and damage to blood vessels or nerves if acupuncture is performed incorrectly or the needles are not clean. Because the lungs are very close to the skin, there is a possible risk of lung puncture if needles are inserted too deep into the upper back and shoulder blade area.
Side Effects
Most people do not experience any side effects from acupuncture treatment, although possible reactions may include:
During your first acupuncture treatment, you will be taken into a private room to discuss your medical history with your acupuncturist and what joints and areas of your body are in pain. After a brief physical exam, you will lie down on a treatment table so that your acupuncturist can insert needles into specific points.
You may lie face up or face down depending on what areas of your body your acupuncturist needs to access. It is best to wear loose clothing that can be rolled up or moved out of the way so that the acupuncturist can easily access different areas of your body. Depending on what areas of your body need to be accessed, you may be asked to change into a gown.
Your acupuncturist will use alcohol swabs to disinfect the skin before placing needles in various points throughout your body. The needles are made of stainless steel and are at least 10 times thinner than medical needles used for vaccines or drawing blood.
Because of this, needle insertion is often painless, especially in thicker areas of the body. You may feel a slight pinch in more sensitive areas like the hands and feet where the skin is thin, but needle insertion should be comfortable and well tolerated without significant pain.
If you are going for electroacupuncture, your acupuncturist will pass a mild electric current through the needles, usually 40 to 80 volts.
Your acupuncturist will then leave the needles in place for 20 to 30 minutes while you relax. The lights in your private treatment room are often dimmed, and your acupuncturist will exit the room but stop in periodically to check on you during your treatment. Sometimes a heat lamp is placed over you during treatment.
After your treatment is finished, your acupuncturist will remove all of the needles and dispose of them.
Frequency
You can find an appropriately certified and credentialed acupuncturist—one who is licensed in your state—through your local state board. You will have to call or visit each acupuncturist’s website to find out more about visit costs and availability of appointments.
Cost and Insurance
Costs for acupuncture can vary from $75 to $200 per session. Your first session, which involves an initial assessment and evaluation, may cost more than your follow-up visits. Whether your health insurance will cover some or all of the costs of acupuncture visits depends on your individual insurance company and the condition for which you are seeking acupuncture treatment.
A Word From Verywell
While acupuncture cannot cure arthritis, it may be a useful tool to use in conjunction with other medical treatments to help manage pain and other symptoms of arthritis. Further research is needed to determine the exact therapeutic mechanisms of how acupuncture works, as well as the overall effectiveness of the treatment. Because the potential risks of trying acupuncture are relatively minor, acupuncture can be a safe, alternative treatment option for many.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arthritis Foundation.Acupuncture for arthritis.Chou PC, Chu HY.Clinical efficacy of acupuncture on rheumatoid arthritis and associated mechanisms: a systemic review.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Apr 12;2018:8596918. doi:10.1155/2018/8596918Kolasinski SL, Neogi T, Hochberg MC, et al.2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee.Arthritis Care Res. 2020;72(2):149-162. doi:10.1002/acr.24131Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al.Acupuncture for chronic pain: update of an individual patient data meta-analysis.J Pain. 2018;19(5):455-474. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005Xu S, Wang L, Cooper E, et al.Adverse events of acupuncture: a systematic review of case reports.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 Mar 30. doi:10.1155/2013/581203Medicare.gov.Acupuncture.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Arthritis Foundation.Acupuncture for arthritis.Chou PC, Chu HY.Clinical efficacy of acupuncture on rheumatoid arthritis and associated mechanisms: a systemic review.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Apr 12;2018:8596918. doi:10.1155/2018/8596918Kolasinski SL, Neogi T, Hochberg MC, et al.2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee.Arthritis Care Res. 2020;72(2):149-162. doi:10.1002/acr.24131Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al.Acupuncture for chronic pain: update of an individual patient data meta-analysis.J Pain. 2018;19(5):455-474. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005Xu S, Wang L, Cooper E, et al.Adverse events of acupuncture: a systematic review of case reports.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 Mar 30. doi:10.1155/2013/581203Medicare.gov.Acupuncture.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Arthritis Foundation.Acupuncture for arthritis.Chou PC, Chu HY.Clinical efficacy of acupuncture on rheumatoid arthritis and associated mechanisms: a systemic review.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Apr 12;2018:8596918. doi:10.1155/2018/8596918Kolasinski SL, Neogi T, Hochberg MC, et al.2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee.Arthritis Care Res. 2020;72(2):149-162. doi:10.1002/acr.24131Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al.Acupuncture for chronic pain: update of an individual patient data meta-analysis.J Pain. 2018;19(5):455-474. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005Xu S, Wang L, Cooper E, et al.Adverse events of acupuncture: a systematic review of case reports.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 Mar 30. doi:10.1155/2013/581203Medicare.gov.Acupuncture.
Arthritis Foundation.Acupuncture for arthritis.
Chou PC, Chu HY.Clinical efficacy of acupuncture on rheumatoid arthritis and associated mechanisms: a systemic review.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Apr 12;2018:8596918. doi:10.1155/2018/8596918
Kolasinski SL, Neogi T, Hochberg MC, et al.2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee.Arthritis Care Res. 2020;72(2):149-162. doi:10.1002/acr.24131
Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al.Acupuncture for chronic pain: update of an individual patient data meta-analysis.J Pain. 2018;19(5):455-474. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005
Xu S, Wang L, Cooper E, et al.Adverse events of acupuncture: a systematic review of case reports.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013 Mar 30. doi:10.1155/2013/581203
Medicare.gov.Acupuncture.
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