Acupuncture For Arthritis & Joint Pain 

 Acupuncture for arthritis is common practice in traditional Chinese medicine, providing relief to painful joints.

Osteoarthritis is a common inflammation condition happened in a joint.nThe inflammation causes a painful, swollen and stiff joint. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis in the UK.

Osteoarthritis happens more commonly in the late 40s onwards and more significantly in women. Many factors may relate to the development of osteoarthritides, such as deterioration of the protective cartilage on the ends of the joint bones due to age, obesity, joint injuries, and genetic factors. 

Osteoarthritis can affect any joint, including knees, hips, spine, hands, and feet. But most commonly affected joints are the knees, hips, and hands. The symptoms of joint pain and stiffness may come and go in episodes depending on activity levels and sometimes the weathers. Some patients may experience more continuous and severe problems.

Treatments in conventional medicine include symptom relief treatments such as pain killers or anti-inflammation drugs, and in more severe cases, surgery can be done.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believes that functional weakness of internal organs plus environmental factors such as wind, cold and dampness which invade the body causing blockage of the Qi (body energy) movement and the blood circulation. As a result of the blockage, pain, swollen and stiffness in the joints will happen. These conditions are named as Bi-syndrome in Chinese medicine

Treatments in Chinese medicine include herbal formulas and acupuncture. Traditional Chinese medicine uses a holistic approach to treat osteoarthritis based on individual conditions. A TCM practitioner will take factors such as lifestyle, general body conditions (eg, appetite, sleep, digestions, and bowel movement, etc.) into account in addition to those joints related symptoms in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Based on the symptoms manifested, there are four main patterns of Bi syndrome differentiated as

1. Wind Bi characterized by moving pain
2. Cold Bi characterized by fixed pain
3. Damp Bi characterized by swollen, heaviness and numbness in limbs and joints
4. Heat Bi characterized by severe pain and hot-red-swollen joints

Accordingly, differentiated treatments will be taken to treat different conditions. The major TCM treatments of osteoarthritis include acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Clinical studies have shown clear effectiveness and benefits of acupuncture (Manyanga et al 2014; Corbett et al 2013) and Chinese herbal recipes (Teekachunhatean et al 2004; Tao et al 2009; Lai et al 2007) in treatment of osteoarthritis.