Acupuncture Relieves Low Back Pain

Ivanhoe Newswire
Friday, September 15, 2006; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Lower back pain can make just about any activity excruciating, and now, a new study reveals a non-surgical, non-drug option may help relieve the pain. An estimated 75 percent to 80 percent of all Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lives.

The study, released this week, reveals the ancient healing art of acupuncture can have a small but significant benefit for patients with low back pain. It has been used for centuries for many issues, including pain relief, fertility treatments, and mood adjustments.

Researchers from England compared two groups of adults with low back pain. One group received acupuncture treatments while the other received standard care. Standard care mostly consisted of medication, physical therapy and recommended exercise. After two years of treatments, the acupuncture group was slightly less likely to report using of pain meds for their back and more likely to report no pain for the past year than the group receiving standard care.

The researchers conclude acupuncture treatments could help reduce the pain men and women with low back problems experience, but there isn't any evidence acupuncture can actually improve functions of the back.

So what makes acupuncture work? The researchers write it could be several different aspects of the treatment, including the relaxation acupuncture is said to induce.

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SOURCE: The British Medical Journal, published online Sept. 14, 2006