Effective chronic low back pain and knee pain treatment with acupuncture in geriatric patients.
BACKGROUND
The most common disease of the older age group in Turkey is degenerative articular disease and pain associated with the disease. Analgesics and physical therapy are preferred treatment for geriatric chronic pain but suffering from multiple medical and nutritional problems in old ages can limit treatment options with analgesics due to an increased risk of adverse effects and drug interactions.


OBJECTIVE
We aim to show the effect of acupuncture on back-pain and knee-pain treatment of elderly people.


METHODS
The study includes 34 patients, 24 female and 8 male. The mean age was 69.0417 ± 8.95 years for females and 73.12 ± 8.95.24 years for males. Every two days for a total of 10 sessions acupuncture treatment to Yintang, Ht 7 (Shenmen), LI 4 (Hegu), Ki 3 (Taixi) and Ki 6 were found to significantly reduce pain scores of patients.


RESULTS
Mean back pain scores (8.8696 ± 1.546) and mean knee pain scores (9.1304 ± 1.4239) of patients were reduced significantly to 2.1739 ± 1.466 and 1.455 ± 0.7; p< 0.001 respectively after the acupuncture treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
These are important results as they give rationale to use acupuncture treatment widely in chronic low back pain and knee pain in the geriatric group of patients to reduce the side effects of polypharmacy in elderly.
Clinical Biochemistry Department, Acupuncture Clinic, Gazi University Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey.
Cemal
C
Çevik
Anatomy Department, Gazi University Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey.
Afitap
A
Anil
Clinical Biochemistry Department, Hacettepe University Medical Faculty, Ankara, Turkey.
Sevgin Özlem
SÖ
İşeri
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014421:Turkey
Acupuncture; complementary therapy; knee pain; low back pain