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Table 1. Eligibility criteria
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Inclusion criteria
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Age above 40 years
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Member of a Health
Insurance Company that participates in the "Model Project"
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Signed informed consent
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Chronic pain in at
least one knee joint during the last six months as minimum according to the
ACR-criteria [26]
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Radiological signs of a
gonarthrosis in the same knee (Kellgren 2 or 3) [27]
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WOMAC ≥ 3 points
(on a scale of 0–10)
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Von Korff Chronic Pain
Score ≥ 1
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Exclusion criteria
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A systemic disease of
the musculosceletal system
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Bone tumour, bone tumour like lesions or metastasis
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Bone fracture in the
lower extremities during the last three months
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Acute infection or osteonecrosis in the knee joint
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Surgery of the afflicted extremity during the last six months or planned
surgery
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Radiological signs of a severe gonarthrosis of a Kellgren grade 4
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Other pain conditions which compels the patient to take analgesics for
more than three days during the last four weeks
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Addiction to analgesics, opiate or other drugs
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Acupuncture treatment in the past 12 months
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Acupuncture treatment of gonarthrosis.
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Ongoing cortico-steroid therapy or cortisone injections in the past six
weeks
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Dermatological disease within the acupuncture area impairing acupuncture
treatment
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Medical diseases causing an impairment of physical capacity (NYHA >
II)
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Severe Coagulopathy
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Ischialgia or other neurological diseases
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History of epilepsy and psychiatric diseases
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Pregnant or breast-feeding patients
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Inability to follow instructions (insufficient command of language,
dementia)
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Participation in another clinical study
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Ongoing legal proceedings concerning pension entitlement
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