Acupuncture Helps Even Toughest Back Pain

Back pain is an incredibly common and debilitating problem; acupuncture is an incredibly effective solution. . . .

A meta-analysis of nine randomized studies that included a total of 377 people set out to determine whether acupuncture is actually an effective way to improve chronic back pain. And the results were impressive. Compared to controls, the odds of improving were 230% greater for people undergoing acupuncture. When the studies were blinded and the control was sham acupuncture, the odds of improving were 37% better for acupuncture.

It is interesting to note that acupuncture faced a big challenge in this meta-analysis because, in four of the nine studies, people who had already not responded to conventional therapy were included. The researchers noted this by stating that “the majority of study participants were associated with a poor prognosis and belonged to a category that is notoriously difficult to treat. The fact that nonetheless the overall result is positive suggests that acupuncture can be helpful even for difficult cases of back pain.”

The researchers concluded both that “acupuncture is an effective treatment for back pain” and that it is “superior to various control interventions.”

Arch Intern Med 1998;158:2235-41

For acupuncture for your back pain, make an appointment to see Linda Woolven now.