Complementary therapies for chronic knee pain: A placebo-controlled RCT of Reiki and mindfulness

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent chronic pain condition that significantly impairs quality of life and is often treated with interventions that carry risks or provide limited relief. Reiki, a non-invasive complementary therapy, has shown early promise for pain management but lacks rigorous evaluation among American adults with KOA.

This study evaluated the specific efficacy of Reiki and mindfulness for adults with chronic KOA pain compared to sham and waitlist control conditions.

In this placebo-controlled randomized trial, 164 adults with physician-confirmed KOA were assigned to one of four groups: Reiki, sham Reiki (i.e., Feiki), mindfulness meditation, or a waitlist control. Active treatments were delivered in four weekly 30-minute sessions.

KOA symptom severity, assessed using the WOMAC at baseline, 1-month, and 2-month follow-ups, significantly improved in both the Reiki (p = .02) and mindfulness (p < .001) groups compared to waitlist controls. Mindfulness significantly outperformed Feiki (p = .004). Reiki demonstrated effects comparable to mindfulness (p = .22). Clinically meaningful reductions in symptoms (>30 %) were reported by 55 % of participants in the Reiki and mindfulness groups, compared to 20 % in the Feiki group and 13 % in the waitlist group. High retention (96 %) and successful blinding support the feasibility and internal validity of this approach.

These findings indicate that both Reiki and mindfulness may offer effective, well-tolerated, and time-efficient alternatives for managing KOA-related pain, with meaningful symptom improvement after just two hours of intervention. Larger trials are warranted to confirm efficacy and explore long-term outcomes and underlying mechanisms.