Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common diagnoses made in general practice and among the most common causes of disability in older people. Acupuncture is a well-founded supplement or alternative to pharmacological and surgical treatment methods. The improvement is, however, often brief, so to preserve the initial effect the acupuncture has to be repeated at regular intervals. In veterinarian medicine implantation of gold-beads in acupuncture-points around a joint has been used mostly in dogs for at least 30 years in the treatment of OA. The effect measured on eating pattern, physical activity and signs of pain last for several years. It may be hypothesized that implanting gold in acupuncture points acts as a continuous acupuncture stimulation. The purpose of this one year randomised, controlled trial of middle-aged and elderly patients is to examine the effect of implanting gold beads extraarticularly in five acupuncture-points around a knee with OA.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether implanting gold beads extraarticularly in five acupuncture-points around a knee improves pain, stiffness and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.