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Acupuncture Like Treatments Improve Outcomes of Low Back Pain
Suffering from low back pain and not getting relieved of it by usual care treatments for it. Why not try acupuncture?
Study acclaims acupuncture
A recent study has shown that those suffering from low back pain and received acupuncture treatment fared well in relieving the pain as compared to those who received only conventional treatment.
The study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and brings forth the benefit questions about how benefit mechanism works, which are to be seen in various acupuncture studies.
Who conducted the study?
The claims or rather trials were conducted by Daniel Cherkin Ph.D belonging to the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle. The findings were provided by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) which happens to be a component of the National Institutes of Health
Dr. Cherkin commenting on acupuncture says,” Because of the lack of highly effective medical treatments for lower chronic low back pain, we were pleased to find that acupuncture- like treatments were helpful for persons suffering from chronic back pain.” He further adds, “However, the finding that real acupuncture produced no greater benefit than simulated acupuncture raises important questions about acupuncture’s mechanisms of action.”
Methodology of the study
- About 638 adults with low back pain were enrolled, who never underwent acupuncture and were bothered by their pain at a 3 on a 0 to 10 scale.
- The members were randomly selected to one of the four groups.
- They were given individualized acupuncture, which involved a prescription that was customized for the acupuncture points given by diagnostician.
- Standardized acupuncture.
- Use of single prescription for acupuncture points, which experts feel is normally effective for chronic low back pain.
- Simulated acupuncture that mimics the needle acupuncture but does not actually penetrate the skin or is the usual care, which happens to be standard medical care.
- The patients who were assigned to the three groups (standardized, individualized and simulated) were subjected to treatment twice in a week for three weeks. Subsequently, they were treated weekly for four weeks.
- At 8, 26 and 52 weeks the researchers measured the back-related dysfunction and to what extent the patients were bothered by symptoms.
- The patients who were assigned to either of the individualized, standardized or simulated acupuncture group improved their dysfunction scores quite significantly as compared to the group receiving the usual care. The benefits remained for a year although they diminished over a period of time.
- There was no difference recorded between the groups receiving the simulated and needle types of acupuncture.
What one may conclude?
Acupuncture may be per se proved to be beneficial to treat low back pain. Nevertheless, neither the tailoring of needle sites to individual patient or penetration of the skin appears to be important to ensure therapeutic benefits.
Director of NCCAM, Ms. Josephine P. Briggs, M.D. says, “the findings of this research shows that acupuncture-like treatments, including simulated acupuncture, can elicit positive responses. This adds to the growing body of evidence that there is something meaningful taking place during acupuncture treatments outside of actual needling. Future research is needed to delve deeper into what is evoking these responses.”
Future Efforts Required
The researchers feel that further research is required in order to determine the patient expectancy roles, practitioner reassurance as well as the non-insertive stimulation physiological effects and other effects that would add acupuncture type of benefits.
Next time you have low back pain give acupuncture a try. You may get the required relief.
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