Acupuncture for Knee Pain and Osteoarthritis in Denver
What the studies found, how many sessions they used, and what that means for your care.
First visit $150 (90 minutes). Follow-ups $60 (30 min), $95 (60 min) or $130 (90 min with cupping or Tuina). HSA and FSA cards work.
90 minutes: your history, a knee exam and a full treatment the same day.
Needles are about the width of a human hair. Most people feel a brief tap and then a dull, heavy ache.
3600 S Beeler St, Suite 150, Denver, with free parking. Mon to Wed 9 to 7, Fri and Sat 9 to 5.
Research summary
Acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis: what the research shows
Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most studied conditions in acupuncture research, and the results are mixed. Here is the evidence, including the trials that were not positive.
The short answer
- Results are mixed. Some well-run trials show real improvement in pain and function, and others find little difference from the comparison treatment.
- The clearest benefit in the studies came from intensive courses of electroacupuncture.
- It is best used alongside exercise, weight management and your doctor's care.
Who this page is for
The evidence
How strong is the evidence?
Guidelines, large reviews and individual trials mostly point toward some benefit, but they differ in how confident they are.
Meaningful improvement at week 8
Share of people whose pain and function both improved by a clinically meaningful amount. 480 people, three sessions a week for 8 weeks (2021 trial).
Electroacupuncture versus control: p = 0.023. Manual acupuncture versus control: p = 0.051, just short of statistical significance at week 8. Source: Arthritis and Rheumatology, 2021.
Treatment dose
How many treatments do the studies use?
Courses ran from 8 weeks to 6 months. The trials with the clearest benefit used courses of two to six months.
Sessions and weeks in each trial
Bar length is the length of the course.
The 2024 review found no consistent link between the number of sessions and the effect, except against anti-inflammatory drugs, where a higher dose gave more pain relief. Source: BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, 2024.
Study by study
Four studies in detail
Tap a study to see its design, result and limits.
2021 · Arthritis and Rheumatology480 people · 24 sessions in 8 weeks
- Design
- Randomized trial of electroacupuncture, manual acupuncture or a control treatment, three times a week for 8 weeks.
- Result
- At week 8, 60.3% of the electroacupuncture group improved meaningfully in pain and function, versus 58.6% with manual acupuncture and 47.3% in the control group. The benefit was still present at weeks 16 and 26.
- Limit
- Manual acupuncture's difference from the control group at week 8 fell just short of statistical significance (p = 0.0507).
2004 · Annals of Internal Medicine570 people · 23 sessions over 26 weeks
- Design
- Randomized trial of acupuncture versus a control needling group and an education group. Average age 65.
- Result
- Function improved more at week 8. At week 26, function, pain and the patients' own rating of change all improved more than in the control needling group.
- Limit
- About a quarter of the acupuncture participants were missing from the week-26 analysis.
2014 · JAMA282 people over 50 · 12-week course
- Design
- Randomized trial of needle acupuncture, laser acupuncture, a control treatment and no treatment.
- Result
- Neither needle nor laser acupuncture was significantly better than the control treatment for pain or function at 12 weeks. Compared with no treatment, needle acupuncture gave a modest pain improvement of about 1.1 points on a 10-point scale.
- Limit
- The improvement was not still present at one year. There were no serious adverse events.
2018 · The Journal of Pain39 trials · 20,827 people with chronic pain
- Design
- Pooled analysis of individual patient data from high-quality trials of acupuncture for chronic pain, including osteoarthritis.
- Result
- Acupuncture reduced pain more than control treatments and more than no acupuncture. About 15% of the effect had faded by one year.
- Limit
- It covers several chronic pain conditions, not knee osteoarthritis alone.
Your care
What this means for your care
A realistic plan based on how the studies were run.
Plan on a course
The trials that stated a count used 23 to 24 sessions over 8 to 26 weeks, with treatment most frequent at the start. I give you an honest estimate at your first visit.
Check in at six visits
We review progress together after the first six visits and decide whether to continue.
Combine, do not replace
I work alongside exercise, weight management and your doctor or physical therapist. Where the research favors it, I add electroacupuncture.
What to expect
What to wear
Shorts or loose pants that roll above the knee. Bring any X-ray or MRI report, your medication list and notes from your doctor or physical therapist.
What it feels like
A brief tap, then a dull, heavy ache that fades in seconds. With electroacupuncture, a steady tapping that I set to a level you are comfortable with.
Session length
You rest on a heated table for 25 to 30 minutes.
Add-ons
Electroacupuncture when it fits, and cupping or Tuina for tight muscles around the hip and thigh.
References
Studies cited
- 2019 American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation guideline (Arthritis Care and Research, 2020)
- Cochrane review: acupuncture for peripheral joint osteoarthritis (2010)
- Systematic review and network meta-analysis, BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine (2024)
- Randomized trial of intensive acupuncture, 480 people, Arthritis and Rheumatology (2021)
- Randomized trial, 570 people, Annals of Internal Medicine (2004)
- Randomized trial, 282 people, JAMA (2014)
- Individual patient data meta-analysis, The Journal of Pain (2018)
Why choose The Subtle Point
One practitioner, every visit
You see me, Michael Sugiura, L.Ac., Dipl. TCM (NCCAOM), at every visit. I am a Colorado licensed acupuncturist and have treated patients since 2017, the year I became licensed.
A private room, no rush
Every treatment is one-on-one in a private room on a heated table. You stay dressed for most treatments, and the visit is long enough to talk through what is going on.
Five-star reviews
Patients have left more than 500 five-star reviews across Google, ClassPass and Groupon, and the clinic holds a 5.0 rating on Google.
Easy to reach
3600 South Beeler Street, Suite 150, in Hampden Town Center at Hampden Avenue and I-25, with free parking at the door. Open until 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
500+ five-star reviews across Google, ClassPass and Groupon
124 Five Star Reviews
Mike at subtle point is a pro! He has helped me numerous times deal with musculoskeletal pain in my back, legs, shoulder, neck and hands! He’s great at what he does and is very personable so I gladly give him five stars!
—Moe El Ali
247 Five Star Reviews
Michael was PERFECT! He asked a lot of questions about my pain and went to work on relieving it. The pain in my side that would wake me up every night for years has been gone for 4 days now thanks to the acupuncture. I also received such an amazing neck and head rub it made my toes tingle! I also noticed that I can go much deeper in my yoga poses after one treatment. Michael knows his work!
—Becky
146 Five Star Reviews
“Mike is so thorough and knowledgeable. Best acupuncture experience I have ever had. I will definitely be going back!”
“The owner Michael was super nice and very knowledgeable! I had a great experience!”
“This is the first time I’ve ever had acupuncture and cupping, and it was great. Definitely recommend.”
Prices
Payment
We accept cash, check, all major credit cards, and HSA/FSA cards. We don’t bill insurance directly, but we can provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
The research is mixed, and I will tell you that plainly. The 2019 American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation guideline conditionally recommends acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis. A 2024 review of 80 trials found it may reduce knee pain, though the certainty of the evidence was very low, and one large 2014 trial of people over 50 found needle acupuncture no better than its control treatment at 12 weeks. Trials using electroacupuncture have shown the clearest benefit.
-
The trials that reported a count used 23 to 24 sessions, one over 26 weeks and one at three a week for 8 weeks. Treatment was most frequent at the start. I give you an honest estimate at your first visit, and we check progress together after the first six visits. If the knee has not changed by then, I will tell you.
-
In the 2024 review, electroacupuncture showed a greater effect on pain than manual needling. In a 2021 trial of 480 people, 60.3% of the electroacupuncture group had a meaningful improvement in pain and function at week 8, compared with 58.6% for manual acupuncture and 47.3% for the control group. Electroacupuncture runs a small current between two needles and feels like a steady tapping, which I set to a level you are comfortable with.
-
Yes. The guideline's strongest recommendations are for exercise and, if you are overweight, weight loss. A Cochrane review found that adding acupuncture to a supervised exercise program did not improve results further, so I treat acupuncture as one part of a plan alongside your physical therapist or doctor, not a replacement for movement.
-
See your doctor first for a knee that locks or gives way, a joint that is hot, red or swollen and not settling, fever with knee pain, pain that is worse at rest or at night, or knee pain after a fall that has not been imaged. I will refer you out first in those cases.
-
At The Subtle Point a 90-minute first visit is $150 and follow-ups are $60 for 30 minutes, $95 for 60 minutes, or $130 for 90 minutes with cupping or Tuina. HSA and FSA cards work, and you receive a superbill for your insurer.
-
Rarely, and never the way an injection does. Acupuncture needles are about the width of a human hair. Most people feel a brief tap, then a dull, heavy or warm sensation that fades in a few seconds. If any point feels sharp, tell me and I will adjust or remove it.