Researchers in York funded by the National Institute for Health Research, have assimilated evidence from high-quality trials of acupuncture for chronic pain, including neck and lower back pain, osteoarthritis of the knee, and headache and migraine. Altogether, nearly 18,000 patients were included.
They concluded that acupuncture was more effective than both usual care and sham acupuncture, and that acupuncture is one of the more clinically effective physical therapies for osteoarthritis.
(Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care: a programme of research. NIHR Journals Library, January 2017.)