Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in the joints. One of the most popular complementary treatments to help relieve symptoms and pain is acupuncture.
The most common type, osteoarthritis, involves the breakdown of cartilage in joints, such as the hips and knees, and it’s particularly prevalent as people get older. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative mechanical condition that results often in joint pain and sometimes loss of function.
The most common causes of arthritis are:
- Excessive joint mobility due to instability
- Heredity
- Inflammation, infection
- Hormonal factors
- Trauma or mechanical damage
- Bad nutrition
INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS: this group includes rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that causes inflammation of the joints usually in the hands, feet, knees and hips. It is an autoimmune disease, a disease that attacks the tissues surrounding the joint. This inflammation causes swelling, pain and stiffness of the affected joints. Persistent inflammation damages cartilage and bone and leads to joint deformity.
It usually affects all the joints gradually and manifests itself with the following symptoms:
Treating Arthritis with Acupuncture
- Joint pain and stiffness
- Swelling and redness
- Fatigue, weakness, difficulty sleeping
Effect of acupuncture:
Acupuncture is a highly effective and safe method for treating arthritis. Medical acupuncture can be applied in addition to other treatments, either conventional or alternative, but it can also be applied individually.
- Acupuncture increases blood circulation and therefore calcium,
- The production of synovial fluid increases which helps the joints move smoothly,
- Reduces inflammation, swelling and
- Reduces pain.
In addition to immediate relief, acupuncture inhibits the rapid deterioration of the disease.
References
• Seca S, Kirch S, Cabrita AS, Greten HJ. Evaluation of the effect of acupuncture on hand pain, functional deficits and health-related quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis–A study protocol for a multicenter, double-blind, randomized clinical trial. J Integr Med. 2016 May;14(3):219-27.
• Attia AM, Ibrahim FA, Abd El-Latif NA, Aziz SW, Elwan AM, Abdel Aziz AA, Elgendy A, Elgengehy FT. Therapeutic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of laser acupuncture on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Lasers Surg Med. 2016 Jul;48(5):490-7.
• Jiang Y, He X, Yin X, Shen Y, Fang J. Anti-inflammatory and synovial-opioid system effects of electroacupuncture intervention on chronic pain in arthritic rats]. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2015 Sep;35(9):917-21.