针灸治疗关节痛在英国受到质疑

Acupuncture doesn't reduce arthritis pain
针灸治疗关节痛在英国受到质疑
Reuters Health
路透社健康新闻
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
2007，8月15日，周三
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - New research suggests that the reduction in arthritis pain as a result of exercise-based physical therapy is not enhanced by the addition of acupuncture.
纽约（路透社健康新闻）－新的研究表明，当采用以运动为基础的物理疗法治疗关节痛时，用针灸进行辅助治疗并不能进一步减轻关节痛。
Various groups have advocated the use of acupuncture alongside conventional arthritis therapy, but data supporting its benefits are limited, and the topic remains controversial, lead author Dr. Nadine E. Foster, from Keele University in Stafford, UK, and colleagues note in the Online First issue of the British Medical Journal.
首作者英国斯坦福Keele大学的Nadine E. Foster博士及其同事先在《英国医学杂志》的网络版上指出，多个团体都支持在进行常规关节炎治疗同时采用针灸辅助治疗，但数据显示针灸治疗效果有限，因此该提议尚存有争议。
In their study, the researchers assessed the level of pain relief in 352 men and women with knee osteoarthritis who were at least 50 years old. The patients were randomly assigned to undergo standard physical therapy alone, or in combination with acupuncture or a sham procedure that only resembled acupuncture.
在他们的研究中，研究人员评价了年龄50岁以上的352名男女膝关节炎患者的疼痛减轻水平。研究将患者随机分组，一组进行单独的标准物理治疗，一组进行物理治疗联合针灸辅助治疗，一组进行物理治疗联合假针灸治疗。
Pain was assessed using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index. Six-month follow-up data was available for 94 percent of the patients.
用Western Ontario和McMaster大学的骨关节炎指数评价痛觉。获得94%患者的6个月随访数据。
At the beginning of the study, the patients' average pain score was 9.2. After 6 months of treatment, all three patient groups experienced similar reductions in pain scores, in the range 2.28 to 2.53, the researchers report.
在研究开始时，患者平均痛觉评分为9.2。经过6个月的治疗，三组患者痛觉评分下降情况类似，为2.28-2.53，研究人员报告称。
Compared with the physical therapy-only group, the other two groups showed slight improvements in pain intensity and unpleasantness. However, these benefits were short-lived, and the researchers deemed them unlikely to be clinically relevant. Since these slight improvements were also seen in the sham acupuncture group, the benefit was probably unrelated to acupuncture.
与单独物理治疗组相比，其他两组在痛觉强度和不舒服方面显示轻微的改善。然而，这些改善作用均为短期性，而且研究人员认为这些不太可能有临床相关性。既然在假针灸组也出现这种轻微改善，因此该改善作用可能与针灸没有关系。
\"Our trial failed to show that acupuncture is a useful adjunct to a course of individualized, exercise-based physiotherapy for adults with knee osteoarthritis,\" the investigators conclude.
“我们的试验证实，进行以运动为基础的个体化物理治疗的膝关节炎成人患者，针灸不是有效的辅助治疗手段，”研究人员得出结论。
\"This adds to the existing body of evidence as acupuncture was compared with an effective comparison treatment,\" they state.
“这进一步证明了曾经进行的针灸与一种有效治疗方法的对比研究结果。”他们称。
Foster's group recommends additional research \"to investigate the possible mechanisms of acupuncture, particularly the role of expectancy effects.\"
Foster的研究小组建议需要进一步研究“针灸的可能作用机制，特别是在期望获得的效果中所起的作用。”
SOURCE: British Medical Journal, August 15, 2007, Online First.
来源：英国医学杂志，8月15日，2007，在线发表