Acupuncture for chronic low back pain: a randomized placebo-controlled study with long-term follow-up

Clin Journal Pain, December 1, 2001; 17(4): 296-305.

Department of Rehabilitation, Lund University Hospital, Sweden.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine whether a series of needle acupuncture treatments produced long-term relief of chronic low back pain.

DESIGN: A blinded placebo-controlled study with an independent observer. The patients were randomized to receive manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, or active placebo (mock transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). Subjects were examined and monitored by an investigator who was blinded to the treatment given.

SETTING: A tertiary-level pain clinic at a Swedish university hospital.

PATIENTS: Fifty consecutive patients (33 women, 17 men; mean age, 49.8 years) with chronic low back pain (mean pain duration, 9.5 years) and without rhizopathy or history of acupuncture treatment were included in the study.

INTERVENTIONS: Treatments were given once per week for 8 weeks. Two further treatments were given during the follow-up assessment period of 6 months or longer.

OUTCOME MEASURES: The independent observer made a global assessment of the patients 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment. The patients kept pain diaries to score pain intensity twice daily, analgesic intake, and quality of sleep daily, and activity level weekly.

RESULTS: At the 1-month independent assessment, 16 of 34 patients in the acupuncture groups and 2 of 16 patients in the placebo group showed improvement (p <0.05). At the 6-month follow-up assessment, 14 of 34 patients in the acupuncture groups and 2 of 16 patients in the placebo group showed improvement (p <0.05). A significant decrease in pain intensities occurred at 1 and 3 months in the acupuncture groups compared with the placebo group. There was a significant improvement in return to work, quality of sleep, and analgesic intake in subjects treated with acupuncture.

CONCLUSIONS: The authors found a long-term pain-relieving effect of needle acupuncture compared with true placebo in some patients with chronic nociceptive low back pain.

Clinical trial of acupuncture for patients with spinal cord injuries

Am Journal Phys Med Rehabil, January 1, 2003; 82(1): 21-7

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether electrical acupuncture therapy through adhesive surface electrodes and concomitant auricular acupuncture therapy could improve the neurologic or functional recovery in acute traumatic spinal cord injury patients.

DESIGN: A total of 100 acute traumatic spinal cord injury patients with American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment grading of A and B were recruited into this study. They were randomly divided into the acupuncture and control groups. In the acupuncture group, electrical acupuncture therapy via the adhesive surface electrodes were applied to the bilateral Hou Hsi (SI3) and Shen Mo (B62) acupoints. In auricular acupuncture, four acupoints related to the spinal cord were selected for stimulation at the antihelix, helix, and lower portion of the ear-back areas. Acupuncture therapy was initiated early in the emergency room setting or soon after spinal surgical intervention. Rehabilitation therapy was also provided to the patients during acupuncture therapy. In the control group, only rehabilitation therapy was provided to the patients. Neurologic and functional scores were assessed during the time of admission, hospital discharge, and 1-yr postinjury follow-up.

RESULTS: There were significant improvements in neurologic (sensory and motor), functional, and FIM scores in the acupuncture group compared with the initial admission period when assessed during the time of hospital discharge and the 1-yr postinjury follow-up. A greater percentage of patients in the acupuncture group recovered to a higher ASIA impairment grading.

CONCLUSION: The use of concomitant auricular and electrical acupuncture therapies, when implemented early in acute spinal cord injury, can contribute to significant neurologic and functional recoveries.

What we can do for low back pain in Scientific Acupuncture Center?

In Scientific Acupuncture Center, we have successfully healed many acute and chronic back pain patients, some patients even with the spinal disc damage. Our effective rate for back pain is 100%, most of the patients can feel the relief of the back pain right after the first treatment. Usually after 5~10 visits, the problem will be totally disappeared.