HIP PAIN RESEARCH (© JCM Ltd)

EAR ACUPUNCTURE & HIP PAIN
A study which compared auricular press needles inserted at specific points for hip pain (hip joint, lung, Shenmen, thalamus) with similar needles inserted in auricular non-points, in 61 patients one day before and for three days after total hip arthroplasty surgery, found that the true points group used 32% less analgesics than the non-point group. (Pain 2005; 114: 320-7).

ACUPUNCTURE AND HIP PAIN
A study carried out by anaesthetists at Cheltenham General Hospital compared the acupuncture and steroid injection treatment of patients with osteoarthritis of the hip. All patients had suffered chronic pain for more than twelve months and were awaiting hip arthroplasty. The acupuncture group received periosteal needling to the greater trochanter with three needles (three, weekly treatments), whilst the steroid injection group received a single intra-articular/peri-articular hip injection of 20ml of 1% lignocaine + 80mg Depo-Medrone. Both groups experienced a decrease in pain intensity and analgesic usage following treatment, with the decrease greater in the acupuncture group. Neither group experienced greater mobility. (Acupuncture in Medicine, Nov 1995 VOL X111 No2, 67-70).

ACUPUNCTURE FOR HIP AND KNEE ARTHRITIS
A large German trial has found that acupuncture is of significant benefit in controlling the pain of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Of 3633 patients, 357 were randomised to receive acupuncture (15 treatments over three months), 355 were randomised to a non-acupuncture control group, and 2921 did not accept randomisation and opted for acupuncture treatment. All patients received usual medical care in addition to acupuncture. The randomised acupuncture group showed significant improvement over controls at both three and six months in osteoarthritis severity (WOMAC scale) and quality of life. Improvements were comparable to those in the non randomised acupuncture group. The authors report that  " P h y s i c i a n   c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s ,   s u c h   a s   t h e   l e v e l   o f   f o r m a l   a c u p u n c t u r e   t r a i n i n g   o r   c e r t i f i c a t i o n ,   d i d   n o t   i n f l u e n c e   t r e a t m e n t   o u t c o m e s " , although only 140 hours of certified training was a minimum requirement of participating physicians. Partly as a result of this trial, the German Ministry of Health is considering a recommendation from a federal committee of doctors and health insurers that acupuncture should be covered by medical insurance. (Acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip: A randomized, controlled trial with an additional nonrandomized arm. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 54; 11: 3485 – 3493).