Acupuncture Best for Low Back Pain?

Last Thursday's post discussed back pain and how it can be alleviated through yoga. Today we consider acupuncture.

According to a new study from a group of Seattle researchers, it even works when toothpicks are used instead of needles and the effects seem to be long-lasting. The investigators compared four different treatments on 638 adults with chronic low back pain. Over seven weeks 157 of the adults received 10 individually prescribed acupuncture treatments. A second group of 158 had a standardized course of acupuncture treatments considered effective by experts on low back pain. A third group of 162 patients had 10 sessions of simulated acupuncture - here, the patients didn’t know that toothpicks were used instead of needles. The fourth group of 161 patients received usual medical care. In telephone follow-ups, the patients reported on how they were doing at eight, 26 and 52 weeks after treatment. After a year, 59 to 65 percent of the patients in the acupuncture groups reported less pain and improved functioning compared to 50 percent of the usual care group. The study was published in the May 11, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.