Acupuncture treatment of patellofemoral pain syndrome

Objective: To evaluate the effect of acupuncture treatment in patellofemora l pain syndrome. Design: A controlled trial where patients were randomly assigned either to acupuncture treatment or no treatment. Evaluation of the result was blinded . Setting: An acupuncture/physiotherapy treatment practice in Bergen, Norway. Subjects: A total of 75 patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome were inc luded, of whom 44 were female. Intervention: Individualized acupuncture treatment twice weekly for 4 weeks . Main Outcome Measure: Patients were followed for 1 year with the Cincinnati Knee Rating System (CKRS) scale as the main outcome measure. Other tests u sed were the Stairs-Hopple test, quadriceps atrophy, and evaluating level p ain after activity by a visual analogue scale. Results: At inclusion patien ts, aged 18-45 (mean 31.0) years, reported persistent pain on activity (mea n 6.6 years) and at rest (mean 4.3 years). CRS scores at baseline were simi lar (acupuncture group 58.0 versus no treatment group 56.1). At 12 months t here was a significant difference in the CRS score between the groups (acup uncture 75.2 versus no treatment 61.7, p = 0.005). When analyzing for worst case, the difference persisted (68.1 versus 54.4, p = 0.03). Results were then dichotomized as to whether the patient was cured or not at 12 months. A patient was defined as cured if he/she scored "slight" or "none" on the " pain" or "limitation to activity" subscales. The Number Necessary to Treat (NNT) to cure one patient was NNT = 3.0 for the CRS pain subscale. Conclusion: We conclude that acupuncture may be an alternative treatment fo r patellofemoral pain syndrome.