An overview of systematic reviews of acupuncture for rheumatic conditions has found relatively clear evidence to suggest that it is effective for osteoarthritis (OA), low back pain and lateral elbow pain. From their evaluation of the thirty systematic reviews that met their inclusion criteria, the authors concluded that for OA, low back pain and lateral elbow pain the evidence is sufficiently sound to warrant recommending acupuncture to patients as routine care.

Acupuncture for rheumatic conditions: an overview of systematic reviews. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2010 Oct;49(10):1957-61.