title: [Effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of pain from osteoarthritis of the knee].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in controlling pain from arthritis of the knee.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic review.
  
  
  METHODS
  MedLine, the Cochrane Library.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the 9 studies located, only 4 met the inclusion criteria. All were controlled, randomized clinical trials that studied the effect of acupuncture only in the knee joint.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary outcome variables were intensity of pain, overall measure (general improvement, proportion of patients who recovered, subjective improvement in symptoms) and functional status. As secondary outcome measures we used objective physiological measures (range of knee movement, muscle strength, time needed to walk a certain distance, time needed to climb a certain number of stairs), general health status, and other information such as medication needed and side effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was moderately strong evidence that acupuncture was more effective in treating knee joint pain than no treatment. The difference can be explained by its marked placebo effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is currently insufficient evidence to recommend acupuncture as a treatment for pain from osteoarthritis of the knee. Additional, better designed studies are needed to determine the actual role of acupuncture in this disease.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Salud Montesa. Madrid. España. antonioferrandez@hotmail.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrández Infante
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: García Olmos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: González Gamarra
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Meis Meis
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Sánchez Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D015667:Acupuncture Analgesia; D018771:Arthralgia / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000150:complications*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome