Acupuncture for Knee & Joint Pain
Knee pain and arthritis can make stairs, walks, and long shifts harder than they should be. Here is how acupuncture fits into joint care at Wongu Health Center.
Joint pain often builds slowly: stiffness in the morning, aching after a long day on your feet, knees that complain on the stairs. Many of our patients want to stay active and rely less on pain medication.
What the research says
Osteoarthritis is one of the better-studied uses of acupuncture. Reviews summarized by the National Institutes of Health found acupuncture eased osteoarthritis pain more than sham acupuncture, with an effect comparable to anti-inflammatory drugs.1 A large analysis of about 20,000 patients also found lasting benefits for osteoarthritis pain,2 and the American College of Rheumatology's 2019 guideline conditionally recommends acupuncture for osteoarthritis of the knee and hip.3
Who we see
- Knee osteoarthritis and age-related joint pain
- Hip, hand, ankle, and other joint pain and stiffness
- Joint pain from years of standing, lifting, or sports
- People in physical therapy, or managing joint pain with their doctor, who want added support
See a doctor first, or go to the ER, if you have:
- a hot, red, swollen joint, especially with fever,
- a joint injury where you can't put weight on the leg, or the knee locks or gives way,
- calf pain with swelling or redness (possible blood clot),
- sudden, severe pain in a joint such as the big toe, or
- joint pain with a rash, fever, or feeling unwell.
These can be signs of something that needs medical care right away.
How we treat it at Wongu
A thorough first visit. Your practitioner asks which joints hurt, when, and what you've tried, and looks at how you move. A tongue and pulse assessment shapes the plan from a Chinese medicine perspective.
Acupuncture around and away from the joint. Needles are placed around the painful joint and at points on the legs, arms, or back. You rest for 20–30 minutes while they're in.
Warmth and other tools. Your practitioner may use moxibustion (gentle heat from the herb mugwort) for stiff joints, and may suggest an herbal formula or a topical option for home.
Keeping you moving. Staying active is one of the best things for arthritis. Your practitioner can suggest gentle movement and help you pace activity between visits.
How many visits?
Many patients start with weekly visits for several weeks and then space them out. Osteoarthritis trials have commonly used courses of about 6 to 12 sessions or more. Your practitioner will review your progress with you along the way.
Intern or licensed OMD?
Both are available. A supervised student intern visit costs less and gives you a longer first appointment (1.5–2 hours), and a licensed OMD oversees every treatment. A visit with one of our licensed OMDs takes about an hour. Every visit is one-on-one in a private treatment room.
| Visit | Supervised Intern | Licensed OMD |
|---|---|---|
| Initial visit (consultation + treatment) | $80 · 1.5–2 hours | $120 · about 1 hour |
| Follow-up visit | $50 · about 1 hour | $80 · 30–55 minutes |
| Cupping (up to 30 min) | $50 | $100 (includes OMD consultation) |
| Custom herbal formulas & teas | From $15/day | From $15/day |
Common questions
Get help for joint pain
First visits from $80. Self-pay patients can book online. VA Community Care and Culinary Health Fund patients should contact Wongu Health Center before scheduling so we can verify eligibility, authorization, and provider availability.
Related pages
Sources
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH). Acupuncture: Effectiveness and Safety. nccih.nih.gov
- Vickers AJ, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. Journal of Pain. 2018;19(5):455–474.
- Kolasinski SL, et al. 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee. Arthritis Care & Research. 2020;72(2):149–162.