What is already known on this topic
Acupuncture is widely used to treat chronic pain in
osteoarthritis
Various clinical trials have indicated that acupuncture may
be beneficial in treating the pain that arises from
osteoarthritis
The placebos used in earlier trials, based on stimulation by
transcutaneous penetration, achieved an excessively high
success rate, possibly owing to the neurophysiological and
neurochemical responses caused by stimulation of the
cutaneous receptors
The methodological quality of previous studies, in terms o
randomisation, homogeneity of the groups compared,
blinding, and other factors, has been put into question