Acupuncture for Chronic Low Back Pain

In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, acupuncture or simulated acupuncture treatments fared better than usual care in managing low back pain. However, neither tailoring acupuncture needle sites to the individual nor penetrating the skin appeared to be essential for receiving therapeutic benefit. These results are of importance to patients and practitioners seeking a relatively safe and effective treatment for back pain.

According to a 2007 National Health Interview Survey, 17.1 percent of American adults who used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) reported using it for back pain, making back pain the leading reason for CAM use. The same survey found that more than 3 million adults used acupuncture, a CAM treatment used for back pain.

• Press Release: Acupuncture-Like Treatments Improve Outcomes Compared to Usual Care for Low Back Pain

Related Resources

• Acupuncture: An Introduction
• Acupuncture for Pain
• Back Pain National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
• Back Pain U.S. National Library of Medicine
• Low Back Pain National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• 2007 Statistics on CAM Use in the United States

Journal Publication Date: May 11, 2009

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