Bmc Musculoskel Dis
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Bmc Musculoskel Dis · Sep 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialIs acupuncture a useful adjunct to physiotherapy for older adults with knee pain?: the "acupuncture, physiotherapy and exercise" (APEX) study [ISRCTN88597683].
Acupuncture is a popular non-pharmacological modality for treating musculoskeletal pain. Physiotherapists are one of the largest groups of acupuncture providers within the NHS, and they commonly use it alongside advice and exercise. Conclusive evidence of acupuncture's clinical effectiveness and its superiority over sham interventions is lacking. The Arthritis Research Campaign (arc) has funded this randomised sham-controlled trial which addresses three important questions. Firstly, we will determine the additional benefit of true acupuncture when used by physiotherapists alongside advice and exercise for older people presenting to primary care with knee pain. Secondly, we will evaluate sham acupuncture in the same way. Thirdly, we will investigate the treatment preferences and expectations of both the participants and physiotherapists participating in the study, and explore the effect of these on clinical outcome. We will thus investigate whether acupuncture is a useful adjunct to advice and exercise for treating knee pain and gain insight into whether this effect is due to specific needling properties. ⋯ This paper presents detail on the rationale, design, methods, and operational aspects of the trial.