A new study demonstrates that acupuncture may be an effective therapy for joint pain and stiffness in breast cancer patients who are being treated with commonly used hormonal therapies. Joint pain and stiffness are common side effects of aromatase inhibitor therapy.
To explore the effects of acupuncture on associated joint pain, a research team randomly assigned 43 women to receive either true acupuncture or sham acupuncture twice a week for six weeks. The women treated with true acupuncture experienced significant improvement in joint pain and stiffness over the course of the study. Pain severity declined, and overall physical well-being improved.
Additionally, 20 percent of the patients who had reported taking pain relief medications reported that they no longer needed to take these medications following acupuncture treatment.