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Self-massage reduces knee pain with suspected osteoarthritis
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Self-administered acupressure (SAA) is an effective and cost-effective method for relieving knee pain in middle-aged and older adults with probable knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to a study published inJAMA Network Open.
Wing-Fai Yeung, PhD, of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and colleagues evaluated the effectiveness of a short-course SAA in reducing knee OA pain in middle-aged and older adults (aged 50 years and older). The analysis included 314 participants randomly assigned to perform acupressure twice daily for 12 weeks or participate in a control knee health education session.
The researchers found that at week 12, the intervention group had a significantly greater reduction in the Numeric Pain Rating Scale score (mean difference, -0.54 points) and improvement in the Short Form 6 Dimensions utility score (mean difference, 0.03 points) compared with the control group. However, there were no significant differences in the Wester-McMaster Osteoarthritis Index, Timed Up and Go, or Fast Gait Speed. The probability that the intervention would be cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of 1 per capita GDP was >90 percent.
"It is noteworthy that participants demonstrated high acceptability and compliance with the SAA training program," the authors write. "Our cost-effectiveness analysis showed that SAA was a cost-effective intervention."