Acupressure Effective for Knee Pain
A self-administered acupressure training program was found to be effective for relieving pain in people with probable knee osteoarthritis in a study published in JAMA Network Open (April 2024). Acupressure stimulates the same places on the body as acupuncture, but it uses pressure from fingers or hands instead of inserting needles. The study included 314 adults ages 50 and older who reported having symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. They reported pain levels of approximately five out of 10. Participants were divided into two groups, both of which received a brief knee health education session. Half of the participants also had two training sessions for self-administered acupressure around the knee, and they practiced it twice daily for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, the acupressure group had significantly greater reduction on a pain score and had improved mobility. An analysis found that the intervention is cost-effective.
