What aids chronic knee pain?
According to Arthristis research Uk, many of the 4.5 million people in the Uk with osteoarthritis of the knee, suffer with chronic knee pain. This includes my dad, so this piece of research caught my attention.
A group of researchers from Standord University working with counterparts in China conducted a review of 19 randomised control trials to examine whether accupuncture was effective for knee pain. They considered both the visual analogue scale (VAS) of measuring knee pain and Western Ontario and McMaster Universitities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC).
They concluded that accupuncture can be effective in relieving chronic knee pain 12 weeks after treatments.
Reference
, et al Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture for chronic knee pain.
Related Posts

The Impact of Sitting All Day – Part 2
In part 1, I looked at the impact of sitting on your muscles, but what happens in the rest of your body? Leg Disorders We are all familiar with the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) if we take long flights. This is because sitting for long periods of time slows blood circulation, which causes fluid to pool in legs. This creates problems ranging from swollen ankles, varicose beings to dangerous blood clots. Soft Bones Osteoporosis is a disease marked by reduced bone strength leading to an increased risk of fractures, or broken bones. Bone strength has two main features: bone mass (amount of bone) and bone quality. Osteoporosis is often called a “silent disease” because it usually progresses without any symptoms until a fracture occurs or one or more vertebrae (bones in the spine) collapse. Weight-bearing activities such as walking and running stimulate hip and lower-body bones to grow thicker, denser and stronger. Medical researchers partially attribute the recent surge in cases of osteoporosis to lack of activity. Garrett, Brasure et al, 2004, Physical Inactivity Direct Cost To A Health Plan, American Journal of Preventative Medicine; Vol 27 No 4, Pages 304–309 See http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797%2804%2900191-6/abstract?cc=y Weight Gain As the body slows down while in a resting and seated positions, the metabolism naturally slows down. Calories are burned at a far lower rate, when you sit, you burn only about one calorie a minute!. For some people this can lead to weight gain becoming an issues. Being overweight is a known risk factor for many common chronic conditions including
- diabetes
- gallstones
- hypertension
- heart disease
- stroke

What can help period pain? – Part 2
In part 1, I introduced the topic of period pain. In this blog post, I want to explore the topic from the perspective of functional medicine practitioners who believe that period pains are caused by certain nutritional deficiencies particularly vitamin B, magnesium and essential fatty acids. There is evidence that magnesium can reduce the sensitivity to pain. In one study 21 out of 25 women treated with magnesium for six months saw a reduction in the period pain. In one scientific study over 500 women aged between 12 to 21 with moderate to severe period pain took vitamin B1. 87% were completely cured after 3 months. Just 5% saw no effect at all, while 8% saw their pain reduced. There is also scientific evidence that vitamin B6 may be useful too. Finally, there is scientific evidence that Acupuncture can be a safe and effective treatment for period pain. References Magnesium reference see >> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27978803, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11687013, Vitamin B reference see >> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8935744, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1459624/ Acupuncture references see >> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29879061 and https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2017/1791258/abs/

Shoulder flexibility exercises
There is scientific evidence these exercises help reduce Neck & Shoulder pain when combined with strenghtening and core exercises.


