In a recent, ongoing systematic review it was noted that, “The most recent systematic review and meta-analysis of acupuncture for chronic knee pain found that acupuncture can significantly reduce pain intensity and improve functional mobility and the quality of life.”
In this systematic review, they found “… acupuncture administered to adults with osteoarthritis to be associated with a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity, improved functional mobility and improved health-related quality of life. Reductions in pain were greater in trials with longer intervention periods. Though under-reported and inconsistently described, major adverse events with acupuncture were not reported. Subgroup analyses suggest that acupuncture is most effective for reducing osteoarthritic pain when administered for more than four weeks.”