Back Pain - To Needle or Not To Needle?

Acupuncture needle Illustration: Anne Asher

Recent studies confirm what millions of Americans already knew - that acupuncture helps reduce back pain. In two cities in the Pacific Northwest, 477 adults at an average age of 47 had 10 acupuncture treatments for chronic low back pain. Six hundred thirty eight study participants were divided up in to 4 approximately equal groups. One group was diagnosed by a licensed acupuncturist and received individualized treatment. Another group got a fake version of acupuncture, which, while done with toothpicks, looked and felt like acupuncture to the patients. A third group got a sort of "canned" acupuncture treatment. With this group, the treatment was not tailored to the individual back pain sufferer. Instead, the points chosen were the standard ones typically used for back pain, and the patients were not given an evaluation. And one unlucky group of 161 people got no acupuncture at all - just the routine medical care for back pain.

After eight weeks, 60% of all acupuncture recipients, even those who got the toothpick treatment, reported significant pain relief. (Only 39% of the "usual care" group felt better.) At one year, between 59 and 65% of the acupuncture patients were still feeling better and doing well, compared with 50% of those who received usual medical care.

The study authors note one perk of acupuncture: To the extent this treatment is able to take the place of medication, side effects from long term drug use can be reduced. Good news for acupuncture patients!

| What is Acupuncture? | Managing Chronic Pain Holistically | Acupuncture for Neck Pain |

_Source:

Cherkin DC, et al. "A Randomized Trial Comparing Acupuncture, Simulated Acupuncture, and Usual Care for Chronic Low Back Pain" Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(9):858-866.

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