Arthritis
Over 40 million people suffer from arthritis in the United States. Arthritis ranges from mildly inconvenient to seriously debilitating. The common complaint among its many forms is joint pain.
Acupuncture and Arthritis
Living with arthritis may mean difficulty opening a jar or walking up stairs. It could involve full-body pain. The good news is acupuncture is a proven, safe modality that helps those suffering from the disabling effects of arthritis, both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Numerous clinical studies have shown treating arthritis with acupuncture can bring pain relief and improved quality of life. Regular treatment with acupuncture has been shown to bring numerous benefits in pain relief, mobility, and a reduced need for costly medications.
Acupuncture has also been clinically shown to reduce the need for medication in arthritis patients. Acupuncture helps by reducing inflammation and restoring function and range of motion in affected joints. Patients report being able to return to activities they thought had become impossible including bicycling, cooking, typing, or working. Acupuncture at The Gilbert Clinic is a safe method of managing your condition without side effects.
What Patients Say
Acupuncture may feel like a foreign treatment for your arthritis. To dispel the mystery and help you become more familiarized, we decided to let real people voice their experiences of our work. These are real patients with real lives, from all walks of life, for whom The Gilbert Clinic was an answer. We invite you to read their stories.
Sally Davidson | Chairman of the Board, Clyde’s Restaurant Group | Age: 66 | Patient since 2008
“Over the past 25 years I had broken both ankles very badly, both needing surgery. The injury to my right ankle also involved dislocation. A few years ago, arthritis set in in both ankles, the right ankle being worse. Swelling became more pronounced, and I began to limp due to pain in the right ankle. This concerned and annoyed me no end, and interfered with many aspects of my life. An associate of Jonathan Gilbert’s recommended a consultation with him. I began weekly acupuncture right away. Within a few weeks, the swelling went down and the pain in the right ankle subsided. I no longer limp, and I plan to continue my acupuncture treatments indefinitely. I am so grateful to have found this drug-free, noninvasive solution for my arthritis, and it is wonderful working with Jonathan.”
John Gentille | Bethesda, MD | Age: 62 | Occupation: Non-profit CEO | Patient since 2010
“I have suffered intense arthritic pain in my ankle and knee for decades due to a traumatic injury in high school. After other methods of treatment had failed to lessen the pain, I decided to try acupuncture. I’ll be the first to admit I was skeptical, especially when during my first treatment Jonathan said he could indeed make the pain go away. My skepticism soon turned to belief as the pain and the stiffness subsided and eventually virtually disappeared. Even better—and this was a first for me in dealing with the medical profession—after a relatively brief period of time, Jonathan ended up basically firing me as a patient by telling me that I really didn’t need any more treatments! And he was right! I was, and still am many months later, virtually free of arthritic pain in those joints! I have since mentioned my positive experiences with Jonathan and acupuncture to a number of friends and colleagues. Many of them have that skeptical look when I tell them my story—just like I once had. To them I just say, Give it a try. You’ve got nothing to lose…other than perhaps the pain!”
Frequently Asked Questions
Will acupuncture help?
Acupuncture has been clinically shown to reduce the need for medication in arthritis patients. Acupuncture helps by reducing inflammation and restoring function and range of motion in affected joints. Patients report being able to return to activities they thought were impossible, from cycling and skiing to gardening or simply playing with grandchildren or opening a jar.
Will it hurt?
Acupuncture is not at all like getting an injection, having blood drawn, or pricking yourself with a sewing needle. Acupuncture needles are hair-thin; there is a small sensation when they are inserted, but there should be little or no discomfort. Jonathan Gilbert prides himself providing a painless needling technique that he learned during his post graduate studies in Vietnam. The experience of acupuncture varies from person to person and from treatment to treatment, but painful is not a term we hear often from patients describing the experience.
How many visits will I need?
This is a highly individualized treatment, so Jonathan will set your treatment schedule after your initial consultation. For chronic conditions like arthritis, long-term treatment—most often weekly or every other week tends to show the most benefits, but we have also had patients whose symptoms resolve completely after a few months.
Read more in our Acupuncture for Arthritis brochure. A few research studies on acupuncture and arthritis and a sampling of prestigious institutions supporting acupuncture for arthritis are listed.