People with persistent arm pain experienced a reduction in pain after receiving acupuncture with trick needles that retracted without puncturing the skin. The fake acupuncture treatment could best be described as a

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The fake acupuncture treatment in which trick needles are used that retract without puncturing the skin is a classic example of a placebo. A placebo is a medical intervention that is inactive and does not have any therapeutic effect, but leads to improvement in symptoms because of the patient's belief that it is effective. The trick needles used in fake acupuncture elicit some of the sensations of traditional acupuncture, but do not pierce the skin and do not actually stimulate acupuncture points. Therefore, any benefit observed after such a treatment is likely to be due to the placebo effect.

People with Persistent Arm Pain Experienced a Reduction in Pain