A recent German study, to be published in this week’s Archives of Internal Medicine, has shown that acupuncture is significantly more effective that conventional therapy when used to treat back pain. Researchers at Ruhr University Bochum treated 1,100 patients for back pain over a period of six months, after which patients completed a survey which asked questions regarding their pain and ability to move. 47% of the patients who’d received acupuncture reported improvement in their condition, as opposed to just 27% who received conventional therapy, which included drugs, heat and massage. Interestingly, a third group, who received so-called fake acupuncture were found to have a 44% improvement rate. When treating this third control group, researchers inserted needles superficially, in non-key acupuncture sites, and didn’t manipulate them once inserted. The researchers weren’t quite sure why the fake acupuncture appeared to be so effective, but speculate that it may be because pain messages were blocked by competing stimuli, regardless of exactly where or how the needles were inserted. Patients’ positive expectations of alternative therapy, versus possible negative views of traditional methods, may also have played a role in the results.
Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice, which uses fine needles inserted at specific sites to free the flow of energy and restore balance. “Acupuncture represents a highly promising and effective treatment option for chronic back pain,” said study group leader Dr Heinz Endres of the Ruhr University Bochum in an email to Associated Press writer Carla K. Johnson. "Patients experienced not only reduced pain intensity, but also reported improvements in the disability that often results from back pain and therefore in their quality of life."
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