Abstract
Abstract Background: Chronic knee pain caused by osteoarthritis (OA) is common in the general population. For knee OA with chronic moderate-to-severe pain, acupuncture treatment is recommended. Previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses have indicated that acupuncture can decrease pain and improve function in patients with knee OA. Interestingly, a recent Australian RCT by Hinman et al. reported that acupuncture was not beneficial for knee OA. Objective: As the quality of the Hinman study is of significance to clinical decision-making, the current authors decided to perform a critical appraisal of this study. Methods: Critical appraisals were performed on the study design, statistical methods, and conclusions. Ethical concerns and the use of control groups are discussed in this article. Results: The RCT by Hinman et al. had multiple flaws in study design, acupuncture protocol, sample-size calculation, results analyses, and thus conclusions; in addition, there are ethical concerns regar...
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