Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A placebo acupuncture needle with potential for double blinding - a validation study.
The double blind, non-penetrating placebo needle is effective in masking patients who are not informed that they may receive a placebo needle. In this study, we aimed to examine whether such needles are effective in masking subjects who have been so informed. ⋯ The non-penetrating placebo needle was effective in masking fully informed subjects. When used together with the matched penetrating needle, it has potential for use in double blind (patient and practitioner blind) studies.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Trigger point acupuncture for treatment of knee osteoarthritis--a preliminary RCT for a pragmatic trial.
There is evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture treatment in knee osteoarthritis, but it remains unclear which acupuncture modes are most effective. We evaluated the effects of trigger point acupuncture on pain and quality of life in knee osteoarthritis patients, compared with acupuncture at standard points, and sham acupuncture. ⋯ These results suggest that trigger point acupuncture therapy may be more effective for osteoarthritis of the knee in some elderly patients than standard acupuncture therapy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Controlled Clinical Trial
Point injection as an alternative acupuncture technique--an exploratory study of responses in healthy subjects.
Point injection as a therapeutic technique is well documented, but its physiological effects have not been formally compared with traditional acupuncture. One aim of this study was to compare the effects of the two techniques at one acupuncture point, as a step towards understanding the mode of action of point injection and validating its clinical use. A second aim was to explore whether repeated point injection at the same site might provide a way of increasing the dose of stimulation, in the hope of identifying a dose response curve which could be an alternative strategy to placebo control in demonstrating the biological effects of acupuncture. ⋯ Point injection and traditional acupuncture seem to provoke similar physiological responses, although the greater needle sensation seen with point injection might indicate it could have more powerful clinical effects. Further studies of repeated point injection are necessary to indicate whether this technique may provide a method of increased strength of point stimulation, as an alternative to traditional needling in acupuncture research.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Acupuncture needling versus lidocaine injection of trigger points in myofascial pain syndrome in elderly patients--a randomised trial.
To compare the efficacy of acupuncture needling and 0.5% lidocaine injection of trigger points in myofascial pain syndrome of elderly patients. ⋯ There was no significant difference between acupuncture needling and 0.5% lidocaine injection of trigger points for treating myofascial pain syndrome in elderly patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Relief of low back pain immediately after acupuncture treatment--a randomised, placebo controlled trial.
The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate effect of single acupuncture stimulation to the most painful point in patients with low back pain. ⋯ These results suggest that acupuncture at the most painful point gives immediate relief of low back pain.