Acupuncture and Herbal Treatment for Arthritis
Personalised pain relief for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis — built around your specific joints, symptoms, and pattern of pain.
Arthritis affects millions of people in the UK, and while it can’t be cured, it can very often be well managed — with the right approach, many of our patients continue their day-to-day lives largely on their own terms. We treat clients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, and acupuncture for joint pain is genuinely one of the more extensively researched areas in all of pain medicine.
We’ll set out what that research shows clearly and honestly, so you know exactly what to expect before you book in.
The evidence behind treatment
One of the most rigorous studies ever conducted on acupuncture for pain is the Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration individual patient data meta-analysis, led by Andrew Vickers and colleagues — a gold-standard review pooling raw data from over 20,000 patients across dozens of high-quality randomised trials, including a specific analysis of osteoarthritis. It found acupuncture produced significantly less pain than sham acupuncture, and a substantially larger improvement compared with no acupuncture at all — differences the researchers described as robust and unlikely to be explained by bias, concluding acupuncture is a reasonable referral option for chronic pain including osteoarthritis. [1]
For rheumatoid and other inflammatory forms of arthritis, research has focused more on symptom and pain management alongside standard rheumatological treatment, rather than on acupuncture as a disease-modifying therapy — which is exactly how we frame it in your treatment plan.
Our honest view: the trial evidence for acupuncture and joint pain, particularly osteoarthritis, is genuinely substantial and comes from some of the largest, most carefully conducted studies in the field. Acupuncture isn’t a cure for arthritis, and we won’t tell you otherwise — but many of our patients experience real, meaningful relief, and we’ll always talk you through what’s realistic for your specific joints and diagnosis.
The Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective
In Chinese medicine, arthritis is known as “Bi Syndrome” — a painful obstruction of qi and blood in and around the joints — and it’s classified according to how it presents, since different patterns respond to genuinely different treatment approaches:
- Wandering Bi (Wind Bi) — pain that moves from joint to joint, reflecting the changeable, unpredictable nature of “Wind” in Chinese medicine.
- Damp Bi — joints that are visibly swollen, where several joints may be affected but the pain stays put rather than moving. This reflects an excess of “dampness,” loosely mirroring fluid retention that stiffens joint movement.
- Cold Bi — joints that are cold to the touch and frequently swollen. One of our practitioners recalls a classic case: a patient who had worked as a roofer for 27 years, often in cold, windy conditions without protective gloves, whose knuckles were cold and swollen while the rest of his body stayed warm.
- Hot Bi — joints that are hot, swollen and notably painful, a pattern commonly seen with rheumatoid arthritis specifically.
In clinical practice, these patterns often overlap, and identifying which combination applies to you is central to building an effective, targeted treatment plan — rather than treating every case of “arthritis” the same way.
What to expect from treatment
Your initial consultation runs a full hour. We review your medical history — please bring any relevant blood tests, scans or specialist letters — assess your specific pattern of pain, and build a personalised plan, often combining acupuncture with Chinese herbal medicine. Needles are extremely fine, about the width of a human hair, and left in place for around 15 minutes. Most patients find sessions genuinely relaxing, with only a small percentage noticing a brief pressure sensation as the needle contacts the skin, which fades within minutes.
Arthritis generally isn’t something acupuncture — or any treatment — cures outright, but it responds well to ongoing, personalised management, and many of our patients maintain their quality of life and daily activity with a consistent, well-tailored course of treatment.
Why patients choose The London Acupuncture Clinic
- Over 100 years of combined practitioner experience
- Multi-disciplinary approach — we work alongside your GP, rheumatologist, or other specialists, and review scans and blood results as part of your consultation
- Three London locations — Marylebone (Wimpole Street), Chiswick and Windsor
- British Acupuncture Council registered practitioners
- Personalised treatment — your specific pattern of pain shapes your plan, not a one-size-fits-all protocol
Take back control from arthritis pain
Whatever type of arthritis you’re managing, book a consultation and let’s build a treatment plan around your specific joints and pattern of pain.
Does the research support acupuncture for arthritis?
Yes — there’s substantial, high-quality trial evidence, including a large individual patient data meta-analysis of over 20,000 patients that found acupuncture more effective than both sham treatment and no treatment for osteoarthritis pain specifically.
What’s the difference in how you treat osteoarthritis versus rheumatoid arthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a “wear and tear” joint condition, while rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition causing inflammation, often with hot, swollen joints — what Chinese medicine describes as a “Hot Bi” pattern. Treatment approaches differ accordingly. For rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis specifically, acupuncture is used to support pain and symptom management alongside your rheumatologist’s disease-modifying treatment, not as a replacement for it.
Can acupuncture cure my arthritis?
No, and we wouldn’t want to tell you otherwise — arthritis generally isn’t a condition that’s cured, but one that’s managed. What we aim for is genuine, meaningful pain relief and improved function, so you can continue your daily life as you want to live it.
How many sessions will I need?
This varies by individual and by which type of arthritis you have, but most patients start with weekly sessions to establish a response, before moving to a maintenance schedule that suits their symptoms and lifestyle.
Will it hurt?
Most patients say the needles are completely painless, using extremely fine, single-use needles about the width of a human hair. A small percentage notice a brief pressure sensation as the needle contacts the skin, which usually fades within minutes.
