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  1. Rob Herbert, associate professor1,
  2. Marlene Fransen, senior research fellow2
  1. 1Centre for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy, University of Sydney, NSW 2141, Australia
  2. 2George Institute for International Health, Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
  1. r.herbert{at}usyd.edu.au

    Acupuncture has no additional benefit in people taking a course of exercise

    Two papers have recently been published on bmj.com on the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.1 2 The first is a randomised trial of adding acupuncture to a course of advice and exercise delivered by physiotherapists1; the second, which is also published in this week's BMJ, is a systematic review of the effectiveness of physiotherapy after elective total knee arthroplasty in people with osteoarthritis.2

    Clinical trials conducted over the past decade have helped to define the role of acupuncture in various clinical conditions. A particular focus of these trials has been the use of acupuncture for chronic knee pain or osteoarthritis of the knee.3

    The findings of randomised trials of acupuncture have caused much debate. …

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