During acupuncture, very small, sharp needles are placed in the skin at targeted body points. Millions of people in many countries have tried acupuncture to ease pain. But researchers still do not fully understand how it works. Researchers organized the study to find out if acupuncture can help arthritis of the knee. Millions of older Americans suffer from the problem.
Arthritis can make moving the knee joint very painful.
Arthritis is caused by the destruction of cartilage. This is the connective tissue at the ends of bones that permits the bones to slide smoothly across one another. Acupuncture for arthritis is among several treatments being tested by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The agency is part of the National Institutes of Health, near Washington, D-C. Alternative usually means a medicine or treatment used in place of a traditional one. Complementary usually means treatments used with other methods.